Title
Chief Administrative Office and Jurisdictional Reorganization Ad Hoc Committee recommending the Board:
1) Authorize staff to enter into negotiations with Garden Valley Fire Protection District in support of a potential regional shared services model on the Georgetown Divide; and
2) Conceptually approve the use of funding from the County’s settlement with Pacific Gas & Electric Company over the Mosquito Fire for the first two years of a shared services agreement.
FUNDING: Mosquito Fire Settlement Funds (General Fund).
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Secure and stable funding for fire and emergency medical services is a challenge across the state. Due to the effects of Proposition 13, property tax revenues are not spread evenly among districts. For example, on the West Slope, two districts whose service areas comprise 46% of total fire district service area receive nearly 92% of the ad valorem property tax allocated to all West Slope Districts. This results in varying service levels throughout the county. The inequities are particularly apparent in rural areas, where the districts’ share of local property taxes is very low due to a combination of factors. Some rural agencies had very low tax rates prior to passage of Proposition 13 because they relied heavily on volunteers. The formula for allocating the local share of property taxes post-Proposition 13 memorialized those low tax rates. In addition, the more rural areas of the county typically have lower total assessed value because the housing is less dense and home prices are often lower as one travels farther from infrastructure and services. The result is a low tax increment on a small tax base. As population in the rural areas has grown, the demand for fire services has increased. At the same time, the cost of delivering fire and emergency medical services has grown as regulations and the county’s demographics have made it much more difficult and costly to run a volunteer-based fire department. The Chie...
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