Aug. 5 hearing to discuss fire agency, parcel tax

What is certain is that on August 5 the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing to determine whether the creation of a regional fire protection agency and the establishment of a parcel tax will be on the November ballot.

What will be debated includes the governance structure of the proposed regional agency, whether the parcel tax will include an annual escalation percentage, and whether the proposal will be placed on the November 2008 ballot or deferred to a later election.

“We want to do something, but I think it is important to do it right,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

The supervisors voted 5-0 July 22 to receive the final report from the Regional Fire Protection Committee, direct County Counsel to return to the supervisors on August 5 with the necessary documents to place the measure on the November ballot, and set the August 5 public hearing date to place the proposal on the ballot.

The supervisors also directed County Counsel to return with two different ordinances. The supervisors can create a hybrid ordinance from the two alternatives, and if needed the August 6 Board of Supervisors meeting could also be used to meet the August 8 deadline for placing a measure on the November ballot.

“I’d like to try to see if we can put something together,” Jacob said.

In January the supervisors approved the establishment of the interjurisdictional Regional Fire Protection Committee whose duties included assessing the regional needs for fire apparatus (including helicopters and other aircraft), regional communications, and surveillance technology along with the evaluation of possible funding sources and of options related to a regional fire authority.

A July 18 meeting of the Regional Fire Protection Committee included the approval, although not by a unanimous vote, of the final report. The committee recommended the lease of four fixed-wing aircraft at a current annual cost of $6,381,660 (plus $102,500 for a program manager) and the purchase of three helicopters, which would involve $35,000,000 for the purchase cost and an annual operation and maintenance estimate of $2,700,000.

The purchase of 25 fire engines, which would be owned by the regional authority but stationed at strategic locations and staffed by off-duty firefighters when needed, would address “surge capacity” and would cost between $8 million and $15 million. The cost of a regional training facility is estimated at $4.5 million. The fire-related cost to upgrade the county’s Regional Communications System is estimated at between $35 and $40 million.

The Regional Fire Protection Committee recommended a Joint Powers Agency (JPA) with 21 board members consisting of one member from each incorporated city, one member of the Board of Supervisors, and two members representing fire protection districts.

The committee also recommended a parcel tax which would be evenly split between the regional agency and local fire agencies. The JPA would determine the appropriate use of the parcel tax for regional fire protection while the allocation to the local agencies would be based on an agency’s payments of the parcel tax.

The parcel tax would become effective on July 1, 2009, and would assess parcels not exceeding 50 acres or 10,000 square feet of improvements $52 per year with a two percent annual escalation. An additional $0.01 for each square foot of improvement exceeding 10,000 square feet and an additional $1.00 for each acre over 50 acres would also be assessed, although the total annual tax would be limited to $1,000 per parcel plus the two percent annual increase. The parcel tax would generate an estimated $50,000,000 in the first year.

“This is about providing service for our citizens and protecting them,” said City of San Diego fire chief Tracy Jarman. “The California mutual aid system works well, but not in the first 24 to 48 hours when the entire state is burning.”

The parcel tax would apply to parcels in both incorporated cities and the unincorporated areas. All eligible voters within the county will be able to vote on the measure, which must receive two-thirds voter approval to pass.

While Supervisor Ron Roberts supported the committee’s proposed JPA board model, the other four supervisors favored a smaller board with equal representation by cities and fire districts. Although fire protection districts (including municipal water districts which provide fire protection service) constitute 14 percent of the county’s population, more than 50 percent of land not under state or Federal responsibility is served by those districts.

Over the 30-year period the revenue is expected to total $2 billion. The two percent annual escalation would increase the initial $52 amount to $92.37 in the 30th year. Eliminating the annual increase would allow the tax to be equated to a dollar a week, and the concerns about the annual escalation were based on potential misleading information to the public rather than an opposition to the increase itself.

“A two-thirds majority for a tax proposal is a very, very tall order,” Jacob said. “Putting a flawed proposal before the public does not solve our problem.”

Supervisor Greg Cox is not optimistic about passage but notes the benefit of providing an option. “If we put something on the ballot, it’s something the voters can decide,” he said.

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