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Supervisor Veerkamp recommending the Board authorize the Chair to sign a letter to State Senator Mike Morrell in support of Senate Bill 1136. The passage of this bill would change the annual reporting requirements for the Fire Prevention Fee, giving the public a better accounting of how the funds are being used.
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Funds from the Fire Prevention Fee are supposed to be earmarked for building defensive space around properties, eliminating excess vegetation that fuels wildfires, drawing up "fire hazard severity mapping" and creating emergency evacuation plans for rural communities, according to a Senate report.
According to the legislation, Cal Fire's summaries of how funds were expended between 2012 and 2015 fell short of providing the public with sufficient information.
Morrell said the tax brings in about $74 million in annual revenue.
A lawsuit challenging the assessment as an illegal tax, which the plaintiffs argue should have required a two-thirds vote by the Legislature for passage, is pending.