KELSEYVILLE — Measure A special election ballots sent last month to registered voters within the Kelseyville Fire Protection District (KFPD) have to be returned by mail or dropped in a ballot box in front of the Main Street station before 8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.
Tuesday’s non-polling special election does not apply to the entire county. It’s specific to the KFPD, which seeks to establish a community facilities district (CFD) through the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982. A CFD is a special tax district that a public agency may form as a “means of obtaining additional public funding and financing for various services and infrastructural improvements in California by imposing special taxes on property,” according to the district’s consulting firm, NBS.
Mello Roos was passed in response to Proposition 13, a 1978 law that restricted property taxes to 1% of the assessed value and rate increases on the assessment of properties to 2% per year. “It limited local government entities and special districts from being able to access certain funding opportunities for new facilities,” NBS states on its website, civicmic.com. “The CFD special tax, by contrast, is assessed against the property but is not based on the assessed value of the property.”
Measure A asks for a “yes” or “no” vote to a two-part question. A “yes” vote would allow the KFPD to form the Kelseyville Fire Protection District Community Facilities District No. 2021-1 to levy special taxes on properties within its boundaries and authorize a bond to be issued in the amount of $4 million for the purpose of financing facilities and services. More specifically, the tax funds will go toward the construction of a new station on the Soda Bay corridor, purchase of a fire engine and ambulances for the new station and staffing recruitment and salaries for the new station. A “no” vote would stop the formation of a CSD and prevent the proposed property tax increases and bond issuance. The measure would pass if two-thirds of the ballots received voted “yes.”
The passage of Measure A would allow the district to implement a yearly property tax model that may include a range of $122 to $175 per unit for residential properties; $175 to $870 per parcel based on acreage size for vacant, non-agricultural acreage; $87 to $435 per parcel based on acreage size for agricultural land; and $350 to $1,740 per parcel based on square footage for non-residential buildings. Non-residential resort properties would have a tax increase of $175 per acre.
As of Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, more than 2,200 ballots were returned out of a total of 7,342 that were sent out, said Kenny Mostern, a principal of MK Election Services, contracted to run the election process for the district. Mostern projected another 100 ballots may come in by today, acknowledging that the “bulk of the ballots typically are returned in a day or two after voters get their ballots.” Mostern said that based on what he’s seen in similar elections , voters typically don’t hold on to their ballots for days in and then decide to send them later. He indicated ballots will be counted Dec. 22, 2021, starting at 8 a.m. and may take five to six hours. The initial count will be followed by “mop up” work to verify signatures before the results are announced. Certification will take place in early January.
At a June 9, 2021 town hall meeting, KFPD Chief Joe Huggins expounded on the district’s goals, identifying availability, capability and operational effectiveness as the basic components of a fire department’s emergency response performance. Currently, KFPD has two stations serving the entire district – Station 55, the district headquarters on Main Street and Station 56 on Soda Bay Road in the Clearlake Riviera. A priority goal is to cut down response time to an emergency. A third fire station proposed to be located on the Soda Bay corridor can reduce response times, allow for coverage when other staff members are out on call, and potentially cut down the cost of homeowners’ insurance if located within five miles of homeowners in the area, Huggins said.
Huggins indicated that depending on varying factors, such as time of day, road conditions or traffic, the response time from the Main Street station to the Buckingham Country Club area, can take between 18 to 20 minutes. “It’s an extensive response time. For anybody having a heart attack, or any fire or vehicle accident or any type of emergency, time is absolutely of the essence. Response time from Station 56 to Buckingham Country Club area has been clocked between 12 to 13 minutes. “The reduction of response times saves lives and keeps fires small,” Huggins said. “We serve 97 square miles… It’s imperative we keep our response times to a minimum.”
Another goal is the replacement of inadequate equipment. “Every year, we put a lot of miles on our ambulances and engines especially during fire season,” Huggins added. “Our type 3 wildland engine was gone almost two months last year…If the equipment is dilapidated, there goes your response time. If breaking down, no response at all… these guys and gals need to have safe equipment. If my employees are safe, that makes you folks safe.”
Cost estimates posted on the district’s website include $2.4 million for new fire station construction and equipment, $200,000 for annual debt service and administrative costs, and $1.2 million for staffing costs.
