Measure H sales tax supporting Sonoma County fire agencies leads in early results

After an election win years in the making Tuesday, fire officials across Sonoma County are set to meet as soon as this week to lay the groundwork for how $62 million in annual proceeds from a new half-cent tax will be used to modernize regional fire services.

Those steps were underway after early results from the primary showed Measure H, as the tax is known, on track to pass with 61% of the vote, far higher than the simple majority needed to pass.

The win heralds a new era for fire agencies in Sonoma County, coming just four years after a similar measure was narrowly defeated — and seven years after a historic and deadly firestorm ravaged the county, overwhelming all immediate firefighting efforts.

The half-cent tax is unlike any other in the county — the largest of several countywide voter-approved sales tax hikes supporting public services — and will supplement fire services in perpetuity unless repealed by voters.

“This is going to represent such a tremendous improvement in service to every community in the county and that’s exciting for us,” said Sonoma County Fire Chiefs Association President Steve Akre. “We have struggled with bake sales and chicken barbecues to fund purchases of equipment and upgrades and this is going to allow us to raise the level of services to what we really believe it should be for the county.”

A working group will convene to help craft an implementation plan, assemble an oversight committee and bring on staff that can help smaller fire agencies manage an unprecedented influx of new money, Akre said.

“We’re getting to work right away,” he said.

Akre said he was confident results will hold even as the county’s top election official estimated Wednesday that about 70,000 ballots still need to be processed and counted.

The early returns included 76,374 ballots counted as of late Wednesday. Those results included mail-in ballots processed prior to Election Day, early in-person votes and about 5,100 ballots cast in person on Tuesday.

Funding to modernize fire service

Revenue from Measure H is expected to help revamp fire services to meet modern challenges of climate-fueled wildfire threats and flooding and rising call volumes across a sprawling county with some 500,000 residents.

It will be distributed among 29 fire agencies in incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county.

Proponents say it will support hiring approximately 200 new firefighters and fund major upgrades or the construction of 30 fire stations countywide, as well as help tackle wildfire prevention, preparedness and response.

Measure H and its 2020 predecessor, which voters rejected, took root in the aftermath of the 2017 North Bay fires, which destroyed 6,200 homes, including more than 5,000 in Sonoma County.

This time, firefighters led the effort to gather nearly 29,000 signatures place the measure on the ballot, lowering the required threshold for it to pass.

The campaign and the fire chief’s association spent the past few months holding community meetings to educate residents about the measure, knocking doors and reaching people online.

Supporters also pointed to strong buy-in from municipal leaders, fire chiefs, firefighter unions, which raised more than $500,000 to help fund the campaign, and the fire district boards as key to passing the tax.

Outlook among voters

There was no organized opposition to Measure H, but voters ahead of the election and at the polls raised concerns about the lack of a sunset provision and the overall impact on residents’ pockets as the sales tax rate creeps up to 10%.

Sebastopol resident Elizabeth McCarthy wrote in a letter to The Press Democrat that an end date gives voters a chance to decide whether to keep or modify the tax. An indefinite tax isn’t merited amid talks of consolidation among some fire agencies and it will make it tougher for future sales tax initiatives to pass, she wrote.

Casting his vote in Petaluma on Tuesday, Oscar Cacelen, 65, said he also was concerned the sales tax was permanent but the registered Republican said he ultimately cast a yes vote because “it’s for a good cause.”

Dan Drummond, executive director of the Sonoma County Taxpayers Association, said though there’s a clear need for improved fire protection services, returning to voters periodically for an extension provides an opportunity to review spending priorities and whether funds are being used as intended.

Though voters can theoretically repeal a tax, the process is onerous, he said.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that we need more money for fire protection in this county,” he said. “But it raises questions about accountability because they never have to come back to voters to justify the tax.”

The taxpayer advocacy group did not take a formal position on the measure or its predecessor, but Drummond noted that his criticism isn’t over the merit of fire services needs, but broadly about so-called forever taxes.

Akre said the campaign recognizes the concerns but there’s an ongoing need for more fire personnel and upgrades to the system.

“The critical need that we have isn’t going to go away in five or 10 years,” he said, adding that it would be tough to recruit firefighters and access bond financing to pay for large projects without a future dedicated funding stream.

Supporters hail win in 2nd try

Akre and supporters said the Election Day results showed the campaign resonated with voters.

About 75 supporters celebrated the first returns at Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg, where Akre said the room was buzzing when the first batch of results posted, but there also was a sense of relief.

It was a noticeable difference from four years ago.

In that case, Measure G proposed a half-cent sales tax that was expected to raise about $51 million annually for some three dozen fire agencies. It received nearly 65% of the vote, falling just short of the 2/3 majority required to pass.

Fire officials had been expecting the result but held out hope as the last ballots were counted and the results inched closer to the threshold.

“It has been a long journey from when we first started to address this through Measure G five or six years ago and this one is going to get across the finish line,” Akre said, thanking residents for their support. “We’re excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

Staff Writer Jeremy Hay contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.