Fire News: Ballot measure seeks $100-parcel tax

The ballot seeks a tax of $100 per parcel that would apply equally to all property owners, regardless of what they have on their land. It would raise almost $100,000 a year for the department.

Campo Volunteer Fire Department officials hope their latest effort to get voter approval for a new property tax will succeed, despite three previous defeats.

Ballots were mailed this week to 842 voters in Campo. They must be returned to the county Registrar of Voters Office by May 6.

The mail ballot is one reason fire officials are optimistic about this property tax measure, which requires two-thirds approval to pass. The three previous measures had been included on longer ballots in elections.

“It's a stand-alone item, and that will be more beneficial,” said Mitch Sanchez, a California Highway Patrol officer who serves as Campo's volunteer fire chief.

And instead of talking generally about the department's budget problems, fire officials are focusing on one issue – compensation for the reserve firefighters who serve in Campo.

The department is staffed by about 30 volunteers who go to Campo for training to become professional firefighters. The reserve firefighters must pay for their transportation to the community, about 60 miles east of San Diego, and for their food while they're on duty.

“They don't get anything,” said Roger Challberg, vice chairman of the fire board. Sanchez said that if the tax is approved, he hopes to pay the firefighters a stipend of about $75 per shift.

“We're losing people to other departments that do reimburse their reserves,” Sanchez said. “It's getting a little bit harder to compete. Some of these guys, it's just not feasible for them to come out.”

The ballot seeks a tax of $100 per parcel that would apply equally to all property owners, regardless of what they have on their land. It would raise almost $100,000 a year for the department.

The measure calls for the tax to end if a countywide fire department is established. County officials are studying a regional department, but no specific plans have been made and no funding has been established.

No one filed a ballot statement opposing the tax. Challberg said he hasn't heard of any organized opposition, although he said some voters will always oppose a tax increase.

“Publicly there hasn't been anyone who's said, 'Yes, we're against the fire benefit fee,' ” Challberg said.

Campo's volunteer department has long struggled to make ends meet. The department's budget this year is about $73,000, which includes $32,376 from the county, plus an additional $22,000 as part of a three-year grant from the county. Expenses include $10,800 for dispatch and county fees, $5,600 for fuel and $6,000 for vehicle insurance. The department holds fundraisers and spaghetti dinners to help pay the bills.

But previous efforts to get approval for a tax increase have failed, sometimes by only a handful of votes.

In November 2000, Campo's attempt for a $75-per-parcel tax failed by three votes out of 385 that were cast. Efforts in 2002 and 2004 also failed, each by several dozen votes.

Challberg said members of the department and the fire board are trying to spread the word about the importance of approving the tax.

“We're trying to get out as much as we can,” Challberg said. “You like to be optimistic, but I've never been one to say, 'We've got the election in the bag.'

Source: signonsandiego.com