No Agreement Reached in Belmont, San Carlos Fire Mediation

Representatives from Belmont and San Carlos met for of the cities' fire services today but were unable to reach an agreement, officials from both cities said in a statement released Friday night.

"Due to issues unique to each city, each is now pursuing separate fire services effective October 12, 2011," San Carlos Assistant City Manager Brian Moura said in the statement. Oct. 12 is the dissolution date set for the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department.

"Both cities remain open to regional cooperation with all their neighbors to pursue cost effective, high quality life safety services for their communities," Moura said in the statement.

"Each city wishes their neighbor the very best in the future," the statement concluded.

Today's mediation was not open to the public.

Belmont City Council Member Christine Wozniak, who participated in today's mediation, said the mediation began at 10 a.m. and ended at about 7:15 p.m.

"We made every effort to bring the two departments back together," Wozniak said. "This was our last effort. We did work really diligently and with the best of intentions, but we weren’t able to meet any type of agreement."

The majority of the Belmont City Council has favored a stand-alone fire department for the city, and Wozniak said the council will continue its pursuit of a stand-alone fire department.