Lakeport >> With a vote of 4-0 in favor, with District 4 Board Member and Chairman Anthony Farrington absent, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) agreed to approve a letter of support to be signed by Chairman Farrington for Assembly Bill (AB) 203, which was introduced to the State Assembly by District 33 Representative Jay Obernolte.
If passed, the bill would increase the due date of the Fire Prevention Fee from 30 days to 60 days to allow those who reside in more residential areas greater opportunity to gather the resources to either pay the fee or dispute it, thereby helping to promote a greater compliance with the law.
According to documentation provided by Lake County Staff, the Fire Prevention Fee was created as part of the State 2011 budget by the Legislature and the Governor and charges $152.33 for each habitable structure located in a State Responsibility Area, with a $35 reduction for those whose property also falls within a Local Responsibility Area. Approximately 700,000 Californians receive this bill annually.
Supervisors Comstock and Steele spoke out against the Fire Prevention Fee as a whole, stating that it did nothing to actually mitigate the risk of wildfire within the state and is really “just another tax”. They both agreed that providing the extended deadline for payment would help people absorb the expense.
