With tax measures on the line, Sonoma County fire agencies await final election results

Firefighters at three Sonoma County fire agencies continue to wait for updated election results, with the passage of tax measures to shore up services and staffing hanging in the balance.

Two of the measures, for Monte Rio and the Rancho Adobe district, which includes Cotati, Penngrove and unincorporated areas near Petaluma, are ahead by thin margins. A third, for the Valley of the Moon, trails slightly. Each requires a 66.6 percent supermajority to pass, with 71,000 mail ballots still uncounted across the county.

Election officials have until Dec. 6 to complete the final tally and have signaled they could take that long to issue official results.

Meanwhile, voters in Schellville and Glen Ellen overwhelmingly supported taxing themselves $200 annually to buoy firefighting budgets in their communities.

The five fire districts, like others in Sonoma County, struggle financially. The high cost of firefighting has strained budgets, with most of the county’s nearly 40 fire agencies unable to keep up with personnel, equipment and station costs.

The five departments with tax measures on the Nov. 6 ballot sought either their first supplemental funding from residential and commercial property owners in the form of a parcel tax, or in cases where those already existed, a hike in parcel taxes. While needs differed across the departments, the shared priority was a stated need to increase staffing.

For those measures that pass, the new money will be collected in 2019 property tax bills, causing some agencies to delay improvements until the cash is available or to dip further into reserves until the financial relief arrives.

Officials believed still-sharp memories of the catastrophic October 2017 fires would boost support for the tax hikes.

“Last year’s fire and the one that just happened, we were guessing that would make it a more favorable environment for the tax to pass,” said Dan Fein, Monte Rio’s fire board president.

“Not only last year’s fire, but what’s going on around us this year, too. The Mendocino Complex, smoke we’re getting now from the Camp fire, the Carr fire, Woolsey - it doesn’t turn off anymore,” said Jim Colengelo, interim director of Sonoma County’s Fire and Emergency Services Department.

All of the measures received at least 65 percent, a strong show of support, proponents said.

“I think we’ve seen and appreciated just how much 65 percent of the community supports us and that is tremendous,” said Sonoma Valley Fire Chief Steve Akre. “The two-thirds threshold is such a difficult one to get to.”

Monte Rio Fire ?Protection District

The all-volunteer Monte Rio fire district campaigned on the need for three paid firefighters, new equipment and eventually a new fire station. Its tax proposal, Measure U, is ahead with 66.7 percent of the vote, a razor-thin margin that could be decided by just a dozen or more of the 359 mail ballots left to count, according to a Press Democrat analysis of election data. The current split is 460 votes in favor to 230 opposed.

The measure would bring in about $500,000 a year, more than doubling the district’s $440,000 annual budget.

The district, which stretches from the Russian River to the Sonoma Coast, has few volunteers and is run by a volunteer fire chief, Steve Baxman, who responds virtually around-the-clock. The new money would assure one paid firefighter per shift.

“For a little district that is completely relying on volunteers (the new money) is critical,” said Fein, the board president. “The existence of the district is in question long term.”

Four years ago the fire district lost a tax measure by eight votes, so officials know the importance of every vote, said Baxman.

He has kept a sharp eye on the Nov. 6 results after learning of a mistake by county elections officials that resulted in 92 ballots mailed to Cazadero residents that incorrectly included the Monte Rio fire tax measure.

Incoming county elections chief Deva Proto acknowledged the clerical error. Cazadero residents were subsequently notified not to vote on the measure. Their ballots, all vote-by-mail, will be flagged and checked to make sure any votes on Measure U issue aren’t tallied, Proto said.

Baxman said he knew of at least one Cazadero resident who for awhile had a “No on U” sign in his yard because he thought he was being asked to pay $200 for a neighboring fire agency. He fears that confusion could have soured enough voters in the Monte Rio district to threaten Measure U.

“I’m not going to get excited until we hear the final result,” Baxman said. “If we lose, then we’ll raise hell.”

Valley of the Moon ?Fire Protection District

Of the five tax measures, the proposal floated to Valley of the Moon voters has the most ground to gain to pass. Preliminary results have Measure Y trailing, with 65.3 percent of the vote - 3,548 votes in favor and 1,887 votes against.

There still are 2,450 mail-in ballots to count in the district, according to the Press Democrat analysis.

“It’s very disappointing to be this close,” said Akre, chief of Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority, formed in 2002 to serve several Valley of the Moon communities. Since 2011 it has also acted as the fire department for the city of Sonoma.

The district’s current residential parcel tax is $40. If the tax passes, the measure would bring in about $1.5 million to add to the current annual budget of $4.3 million.

The new money was sought to ensure future services and hire eight full-time firefighters, guaranteeing three firefighters for each of the district’s two engines and two for emergency management and fire prevention. Three firefighters on an engine is a standard sought by departments for improved safety and service.

Akre said that while support was strong, the district’s 10,000 or so registered voters include a diverse mix of residents, including low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes. For some, the additional $200 may have been too much.

“We’re super close right now,” Akre said. “We’ll wait for final results before we get too disappointed thinking about Plan B.”

Rancho Adobe Fire ?Protection District

Measure W is leading in preliminary results, with 68.6 percent of the vote - 3,774 in favor and 1,724 against.

Up to 3,340 uncounted mail ballots remain in the Rancho Adobe district, according to the Press Democrat analysis.

Still, supporters say they are confident enough of a cushion exists to ensure the measure will pass in final results.

“It’s going to get us back to financial health,” said Chief Leonard Thompson, who heads the Rancho Adobe and Petaluma fire agencies.

The current parcel tax is $40, set in 1993, and voters in 2012 narrowly defeated an effort by the district to raise it. If Measure W passes, the new tax, proposed at up to $300 per parcel, is expected to add $2.1 million to the current annual budget of $4.1 million, the chief said. Rancho Adobe fire covers Cotati, Penngrove and Liberty Valley.

The money could lead to better pay for firefighters, nine full-time hires, station repairs and equipment upgrades, Thompson said. Another option is to improve ambulance and paramedic services.

Glen Ellen Fire ?Protection District

The lead for Glen Ellen’s Measure T after Election Day was strong enough, at 73.6 percent of the vote, for supporters of the first-ever fire tax in the Sonoma Valley town to declare victory.

“I was very, very happy,” Akre said of the Glen Ellen vote. “What Measure T passing does is it give the Glen Ellen board the tools it needs to keep providing a high level of fire and emergency services to the Glen Ellen community.”

The district has a budget of about $1 million and faced shortages for the cost of keeping firefighters and paramedics at the Glen Ellen station around the clock. The tax measure is expected raise about $380,000 annually. It could be used to increase fire prevention and emergency preparedness and pay a stipend to volunteers to add a third firefighter to Glen Ellen’s engine for all three shifts.

Glen Ellen fire contracts with Sonoma Valley fire for firefighting services.

Schell-Vista ?Fire Department

Measure X, the fire tax for Schell-Vista, received 73.3 percent, enough to ensure its passage. The new money means improved staffing, said Ernie Loveless, a former Cal Fire chief and Schell-Vista board president.

“We’re very pleased,” Loveless said. “We have a plan to change our staffing from one on duty to having two on 24-7.”

Budget issues forced the district, on the far eastern border of Sonoma County, to operate with one paid firefighter on duty per shift. Volunteers firefighters on a stipend or paid overtime have filled in staffing gaps, but the cost was reaching about $11,000 per month, draining the $1 million annual budget, Loveless said.

With an estimated $500,000 from the new measure, the district will double the paid staff to six firefighters, expand a stipend program for overnight volunteers and guarantee two firefighters per engine.