Many Fresno County property owners will be receiving ballots in the mail next week asking them whether they would pay additional money for enhanced services from the Fresno County Fire Protection District.
The amount people pay would vary based on the amount of land they own and how that property is used.
The owner of a single-family home would be charged an additional $78.62 annually. Those with agricultural parcels would pay $11.22 per parcel.
The district covers 2,600 square miles of Fresno County and 150,000 residents.
The money would be used to build three fire stations -- near Reedley, west of Prather and at Panoche Road and Interstate 5. Those stations would be staffed with three firefighters each.
By building the stations in fringe areas of the district, other stations would not have to respond to the district's farthest reaches, and their firefighters could remain closer to their home communities, district Chief Keith Larkin said.
Residents near the newer stations could receive lower insurance premiums that could offset the cost of the annual assessments, Larkin said.
The ballots must be returned within 45 days to be counted. The ballots will tell each of the property owners the amounts of their new assessments if the measure passes.
Overall, the new assessments would add about $3.3 million to the district's annual budget. Last year's district budget was about $13.6 million.
Larkin said people concerned about the economy should know that the assessments would not be charged until construction begins on the stations, possibly in two to three years.
Some residents say they are worried because the assessments would stay in effect forever. They also are worried about the district board's ability to raise the assessment each year by as much as 3% annually. Board members also could choose not to raise assessments from one year to the next, Capt. Mike Bowman said.
Andi Walls, a Prather resident, said she is not opposed to the fire district or additional firefighters, but she doesn't like this particular proposal.
"It's too high, and it won't go away," Walls said.
She said the district should petition the Fresno County Board of Supervisors for additional money.
The Prather area has a large contingent of volunteer firefighters, she said.
"There are other means of getting money, especially if we petition the county supervisors to give more money to fire and not just to the sheriff and district attorney," Walls said.
The only money the district receives from Fresno County supervisors comes from sales tax dollars generated by Proposition 172, a statewide public safety tax. That revenue will decrease as the economy struggles.
Pat Gallegos, a Burrough Valley resident and community outreach coordinator for the Highway 168 Fire Safe Council, supports the plan.
"I know a lot of people are upset about this permanent tax as they call it, but it will benefit the area and benefit them," Gallegos said. "The money coming out of this area for taxes [to pay for fire services] comes nowhere near what we receive in services."
A fire station staffed with paid, full-time, professional firefighters 24 hours a day would reduce insurance rates in an area where residents have had insurance canceled or threatened with cancelation because of fire danger. "The response times to the paid stations is critical," she said.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@