Residents urge Madera County to boost wildfire investments, public‑safety pay and update short‑term rental rules

Multiple residents and local partners used the public‑comment period to thank the board for prior wildfire investments, urge higher pay for public‑safety staff and ask for code changes to short‑term rental rules.

Why it matters: Public comment combined on two threads — sustained funding and partnership for wildfire resilience and local concerns about staffing/compensation and land‑use rules that affect housing and tourism in eastern Madera County.

What callers said: Erin, speaking for Euse Sequoia RC, thanked the county for long‑standing support and for partnering on grants and projects that supported wildfire mitigation, forest health, community preparedness and recreation; she emphasized the county’s role in leveraging outside investment for eastern Madera County.

Melanie Barker Oers, a resident and candidate for supervisor, told the board she has heard concerns from public‑safety groups about compensation and lack of cost‑of‑living adjustments and urged the board to consider wages for public‑safety departments a budget priority to retain talent.

Ashley Nebucher, executive director of the Eastern Madera County Fire Safe Council, described more than 150 defensible‑space projects completed in three years and urged continuing and expanding regional investment, arguing long‑term resilience requires sustained planning, maintenance and partnership capacity rather than one‑off projects.

Kyle Gaty, program manager for the Coors Gold Resource Conservation District, said there are 34 recognized Firewise communities in eastern Madera County and that those programs have helped homeowners reduce insurance costs and fuel risk, naming recent grants that helped expand local capacity.

Kim Fletcher, a longtime eastern Madera County resident now living in Los Angeles County, praised the short‑term rental code update but asked the board to consider modernizing old, inconsistent ADU/guest‑home rules (for example, allowing small cooking surfaces and self‑defrosting refrigerators) so permitted units can provide safe, healthful lodging rather than create incentives for nuisance behavior.

What happens next: Comments were entered into the public record and staff and supervisors acknowledged the points for budget deliberations and code review; the short‑term rental questions were noted as suggestions for follow‑up as the board considers regulatory updates.