County fire district measures seek to secure much-needed funding

Fire departments across California and Santa Cruz County — especially those in smaller jurisdictions — have faced severe funding issues in recent years, leaving many running skeleton crews while still having an obligation to serve the same geographic area and population. Even larger fire protection districts face concerns about aging facilities that slow down response times and are not adequately prepared for unforeseen disasters, including earthquakes.

This year, three Santa Cruz County fire protection districts have put before voters bond and tax measures that seek to raise what they say is badly needed funding for purposes that range from replacing emergency vehicles to constructing brand new stations.

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If approved, Central Fire District’s Measure R, Scotts Valley Fire Protection District’s Measure S and Zayante Fire Protection District’s Measure T would require that districts follow certain guidelines for spending and transparency. They’ll be required to use funds raised by the measures only for the specific purposes and projects described on the ballot; deposit the revenue into a dedicated account; have fire chiefs and/or an independent financial auditor file annual reports about the revenue collected and spent; and establish a board of directors-approved citizen oversight committee to advise on spending decisions. 

Measure R: Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County Bond

Central Fire Protection District’s bond measure, if approved, would authorize the fire protection district to issue $221 million in bonds to fund a multitude of projects for the district serving Aptos, Capitola, La Selva Beach, Live Oak, Rio Del Mar and Soquel. Those could include revamping, modernizing or constructing outdated fire stations in Soquel, Capitola and La Selva Beach; initiating projects such as building a new training facility and staff offices; replacing aging equipment; and purchasing land for the possible relocation of fire stations and other facilities.

The measure would normally require 66.67% voter approval to pass, but if state Proposition 5 passes concurrently in this election, this measure would only require only 55% voter approval. Prop 5 seeks to lower the voter approval threshold for local bonds for affordable housing, supportive housing and public infrastructure from 66.67% to 55%. 

The bond would be repaid through an ad valorem tax, which is determined based on the current assessed value of each taxable property. The district estimated that the average annual tax rate would be about $29 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year, and the highest tax rate would be about $49 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year. It is estimated that the tax would generate about $11.6 million annually until the bond is paid off.

Rolf Lingens, a Central Fire captain and chair of the Friends of Central Fire District Yes on R campaign, said that Central Fire’s Soquel, Capitola and La Selva Beach stations are not up to standard and quite old. The most recently constructed of the agency’s seven stations in the county is the one on Thurber Lane off of Soquel Drive just east of Dominican Hospital, which was built in 2002. Lingens said that during the atmospheric river deluge in late 2022 and early 2023, the agency’s Soquel station flooded.

“Our stations are deteriorating — all of them,” Lingens said. “They’re all very, very old and need to be upgraded. Soquel and Capitola, specifically, are built in a flood plain, and that makes it very difficult for us to respond to our citizens.”

Some are unhappy with the prospect of paying another tax. Michael Lelieur, a City of Santa Cruz service field-crew leader who signed off on an official argument against the measure that will appear on ballots, said that he views it as nothing more than “debt added onto our children and grandchildren.”

“Bonds are debt and that gets passed down,” he said. “This should be done at a different time, if done at all.”

Lelieur said the measure could be harmful to the high number of renters in the area, who he believes could see a rise in the amount they pay each month should their landlords’ properties be taxed: “If I owned property I won’t pocket that. I’ll put it on my renters,” he said. “That’s how all the landlords do it.”

Lingens said in his 15 years of service with Central Fire, he cannot recall the district ever putting a special revenue-raising ballot measure out to the public. He said doing so is “absolutely a hard decision to make,” but hopes citizens will be willing to support the measure, even if it is a “huge ask.”

“Educate yourself and figure out what is important to you. If it’s not fire response, that’s fine, and I understand that,” he said. “Hopefully people can realize that we are always here 24/7, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and we’re here to serve you. Hopefully they can assist us with that.”

Measure S: Scotts Valley Fire Protection District Bond

Much of what applies to Measure R also applies to Measure S. The Scotts Valley Fire Protection District bond measure, if approved, would authorize the district to issue $24.5 million in bonds to fund the construction of a new 12,000-square-foot fire station and a 4,000-square-foot administration building at Mount Hermon Road and La Madrona Drive, several miles south of the current station at Erba Lane.

Like Measure R, Measure S would typically require 66.67% voter approval to pass, but if state Proposition 5 passes concurrently, it will need only 55% approval. The two measures are also similar in that the bonds are repaid via an ad valorem tax on real property. The district estimated that the average annual tax rate would be about $17 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year, and the highest tax rate would be about $25 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year. It is estimated that this tax would generate about $1.7 million annually until the bonds are paid off.

No official argument against the measure was filed.

Scotts Valley Fire Chief Mark Correira said the measure is similar to the district’s Measure W from 2023, which sought to fund the same projects, but asked for only $22.5 million in bonds. That measure failed by a sliver, falling short of the required supermajority by just 12 votes, according to Correira. He said the department’s aging station has reached the end of its useful life, and because the main structure does not meet current standards, the biggest immediate concern is the possibility that it could collapse in the event of a significant earthquake. Putting a bond measure in front of voters was the best way to fund this project, he said.

“From a budgetary standpoint, the organization has adopted a culture of frugality to allow it to be sustainable without having to raise taxes,” Correira said. “The challenge that we get into is that when you get into these multimillion-dollar capital projects, like a fire station, it’s really pushing it. We don’t have the capacity to take that on in our general budget.”

Correira added that the proposed location for the new station is better suited to serve the the district’s geography, especially now that it has taken on responsibility for the Branciforte Fire District after the two consolidated in 2023.

“A lot of people don’t realize that our service area isn’t just the City of Scotts Valley. It’s all the way over towards Felton on Graham Hill, south to the Santa Cruz city border, and easterly to the Central Fire District border,” he said. “So the plan has always been to relocate the Erba Lane fire station to a more advantageous location within the district, closer to the south end of our community.”

Correira added that the district cannot use revenue raised for anything other than the projects it has listed, which means that the money would not go toward administrative expenses such as salaries or recruitment.

Measure T: Zayante Fire Protection District Tax

While Scotts Valley’s measure doesn’t pertain to salaries and staffing, those are some of the main goals of Zayante Fire Protection District’s tax measure.

If approved, Measure T would impose a special tax of varying amounts onto different types of parcels — a flat rate of $50 for vacant parcels less than 5 acres, $100 for vacant parcels of 5 acres or more, and $290 for residential, commercial or other improved parcels. The latter category currently pays a $68-per-parcel tax, which would be replaced by the $290 flat rate should the measure pass. It is expected that the tax would raise about $440,000 annually, and would allow for possible increases that do not exceed the local Consumer Price Index.

Because the measure is a special parcel tax, it requires 66.67% voter approval, according to the California Constitution and the state’s health and safety code.

Zayante Fire Chief Jeff Maxwell said that the measure seeks to fund two major components: to bolster daytime staffing and improve salaries, and to replace, maintain and update the district’s fleet of emergency vehicles. Like many other rural fire stations, Zayante is an independent, volunteer-run district that has been hit hard by the cost of inflation. Before the pandemic, Maxwell said the district had three people on duty during the day seven days a week. Now, that’s down to just two people on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, one on Wednesday, and only volunteers on Saturdays and Sundays.

“You, me and everyone else feels inflationary pressure whether it be food, fuel or utilities,” he said. “We’re not competitive, certainly not in Santa Cruz County, without benefits. That has to change or people are going to find better.”

Maxwell added that the district considered exemptions for some residents, such as seniors, but “it just doesn’t math out,” and that the tax district is so small that even exempting some of the residents would lead to an inadequate amount of revenue. He said that while some might grumble at the prospect of a new tax, they need to remember that the small fire department needs their support.

“We’re not the county, we’re not the city, and our message is that we’re funded and staffed by you. Your neighbors are getting up at night and responding to calls,” he said. “People can frame governments as self-centered machinations, but that’s not what this is. It’s the exact opposite.”

One resident, Jennifer Gomez, filed a formal argument against the measure. She argued that the tax would not be enough to sustain the fire department, and the district will eventually have to come back to voters for more money in the future. Further, she argued that Zayante’s fire station is in a poor location to serve Lompico and Zayante residents, magnifying her displeasure with the proposed tax.

Maxwell said that there are actually three Zayante fire stations — one on East Zayante Road, one on Upper East Zayante Road, and one on Lompico Road in Felton.

“All are located in the communities they serve,” said Maxwell.

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FOR THE RECORD: Michael Lelieur’s quote has been clarified to show that he is not a landlord currently renting property to tenants. The article has also been updated with Jeff Maxwell’s response to Jennifer Gomez’s argument against Measure T.

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