During tonight’s East Contra Costa Fire Protection District meeting, the Board will decide whether or not to move forward with a $98 parcel tax to help ensure two firehouses remain open and the District continues to operate with five firehouses open.
The district will decide to move forward with the following question to the voters:
EAST COUNTY 9-1-1 EMERGENCY RESPONSE MEASURE. To keep East County residents safe with local funding that cannot be taken by the State, preserve 9-1-1 response for victims of heart attacks /strokes /accidents /fires /emergencies, prevent closure of fire stations, and maintain the number of on- duty firefighters/ Emergency Medical Technicians, shall East Contra Costa Fire Protection District levy $98 per parcel annually for five years with mandatory audits, independent oversight, all funds controlled locally and no money for administrator salaries?
If approved, the Measure will be placed on the June 3 election. The measure will require a 2/3 majority approval (66.6%) and the tax would be in place for five-years.
Prior to the decision, the Board will hear feedback regarding their District wide mailer to all residents in East Contra Costa County who are served by District. The mailer’s goal was to help educate the public on the fire districts financial issues and to learn public opinion on a parcel tax.
Local 1230 presented their polling of 300 likely voters to the Board at the February meeting that highlighted a parcel tax only had 54% support–13% points behind the 66.6% threshold needed to pass a tax. The Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa County are now asking the Board to spend their time on other solutions instead of going forward with a tax.
If you go:
Tonight (March 3)
6:30 pm
3231 Main Street Oakley
14 comments
No, this does not solve any problems. No new taxes!
But allowing the District to go to 3 stations will, right “Bobby”?
The Measures is not going forward. Some come November, put your seat belts on. Your call to 911 may not have as happy an ending.
A couple of weeks ago there was an article that said East County fire district only get 6% compared to the 12 % other districts get. Why not fight to get our equal share? The sympathy card the fire departments play is getting VERY OLD. NO NEW TAXES!!!!
On another subject, there have been two accidents on Marsh Creek Road in the past 8 months. The first one there was a fatality, one major injury and two minor injuries. The second accident there was one major and two minor injuries. Both times they called for three life flights. I can see life flight for the majors injuries, but not the minor injuries. Who is paying for these flights. Seems like alot of wasted money.
Reach and Calstar are both private companies like AMR. They bill the insurance companies and or the patient. CHP and East Bay Regional also offer a service in this area but only have paramedics not flight nurses.
20 years ago there were 100,000 less people in east county and two more fire stations. Why are there more people (tax revenue) and two less fire stations?
Because 20 years ago there were far fewer incidents to respond to and a largely volunteer service who could get to those fewer incidents in a reasonable amount of time.
None of that scenario exists anymore.
The first thing the critics need to decide: do you want to live in a 21st century lifestyle where government services are adequately funded? Or is doing things on the cheap your first and only priority? Because the latter has a whooooole bunch of negatives that go along with it.
Sorry, but paying half price and still expecting a full service fire department isn’t an option. Not here. Not anywhere.
Maybe this is a stupid question that has been hashed over before, my apologies if so! Why doesn’t the fire departments seek new methods of funding? Why is it always, a tax on homeowners? Why not a sales tax increase? That would level the playing field and let everyone pay for fire services and not just home owners. Home owners are growing very tired of carrying the burdens!
I think your flaw is assuming that levels the playing field.
A lot of complexity in setting up a new sales tax district that would encompass only ECCFPD. Because you are involving, incorporated cities, the county and the state in the process. New complexity means building in new overhead costs. At the end of the day what do you think you saved?
ISO is coming out in late March to review the area. That could go a couple of ways. Either they see the train wreck coming and people get socked with insurance premium sticker shock or some new false hope creeps in. It’s not likely status quo is an option because things have changed dramatically since the previous review.
It all went sideways when we let the politician firefighters take over our fire protection. And like all politicians, they ran it right into the ground financially and are now begging for more. Let them fester in their failure.
Ummm, this scenario is the culmination of local control which was demanded by the community through their ELECTED OFFICIALS. The sad truth is that local control didn’t magically remedy the problem. There is a severe disparity in the funding of this district vs. that of other agencies in this county and the state for that matter. The district needs to be adequately funded in order to respond to the needs of its modern society. The funding model of a RURAL volunteer system is no longer a viable solution. The district needs money that is as simple as it can be put.
The firefighters did not run this place into the ground! We are the ones who have been trying to do the best that is humanly possible with what little resources we have and we the firefighters are the ones who effectively are going to be run into the ground. The community who will have longer response times and greater losses of life and property are unfortunately going to be feeling the pain along with those of us who remain following yet another round of layoffs.
KFTB,
Your comment makes absolutely no sense. The firefighters have nothing to do with the political make up of the board. Fester on that.
Here is another reason for disappointment. The district negotiated a semi hidden raise for the BC’s with a nice $ 1,000. dollar sign up bonus. The three BCs formed a union quietly tucked in some benefits with their new tier schedule. This all comes just in time for people to consider a new tax. This is just another bad decision at a critical time. It could be possible that the district has secret extra funds for special occasions like this.
I see you’re still trolling for attention, Chuck.
On what planet do Howard Jarvis drones believe that middle class workers, public or private, should NEVER receive raises or be able to negotiate benefits packages?
When was the last time a BC received a raise? How has their income tracked with respect to inflation? You must have those facts since you chose to attack them.
For comparison’s sake how have corporate profits of your buddies that fund the CoCo Taxpayers Ass. faired during the same period where you are expressing your concern? You could start with Chevron. Bought any gas lately? What the price trend been in your experience?
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=9831
So when gasoline rises from $3.50/gal to $4/gal or higher, as it has done over the last few months, the average household sees and effective $410/yr hole drilled into their household budget by the price increase. That way Chevron and employees of same like your buddy Pete Conrad can continue to register record corporate profits. Think ole Pete is suffering salary wise or benefits wise while he’s manipulating the message of the CoCo Taxpayer’s Association who are slamming the lower middle class wage earners of ECCFPD?
To the point: your elitist class warfare schtick isn’t appropriate here. You should reserve that for forums where you and your Corporatist buddies can back slap one another over the online equivalent of your 3 martini lunch.
Case in point would be the latest installment from Billy, the Head Troll, who doesn’t understand the inappropriate comparison of Social Security to pensions. Social Security was created as a last resort social safety net. It was never intended to replace pensions or proper forms of retirement savings. But ole Billy completely misses that point!
Don’t take my word for it, Chuck. It’s documented history. Use “The Google” and educate yourself. But save your race to the bottom promo speeches for the choir who wants to hear them.
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