River Rattina supports RRFPD's proposed fire tax, despite vigorous protests from beleaguered wallet

Braving the vigorous attacks of her shrieking, snarling, snapping, cavernous void of an empty wallet, Russian River Rattina publicly announces her support for the Russian River Fire Protection District's proposed annual $140 per parcel tax hike.

At a disturbingly violent press conference consisting of River Rattina and her enraged wallet, the online journalist declared, "I know times are tough for all of us economically -- OUCH! -- but it's the right thing to do -- DANG! There goes another FINGER for gawd's sake!"

River Rattina's support was cemented when RRFPD personnel broke down the door of her home to rescue her from the physical attacks inflicted by her angry wallet, & whisked her off to the hospital in their ancient, dilapidated ambulance -- which the County refuses to replace, despite repeated requests for funding, because ambulances do not meet Sonoma County's required zoning standards for affordable housing.

But seriously ... how do I explain my change of heart after opposing Measure G and perpetually fuming about how this is NOT a good time for tax increases? I've gone back and forth with RRFPD's supporters in person, on this blog, and on the West Sonoma County Bulletin Board (WACCOBB) -- plus I've read their statements in various local newspapers. Their intelligent, courteous, and well-thought out responses have convinced me we really do need this tax.

Of course, I still feel that California's tax system is unfairly regressive; that our 30% redevelopment set-asides are starving our special districts (schools, emergency services, law enforcement, etc.) of revenue while providing few economic and community benefits per tax dollar spent; and that RRFPD and others in need of money should seek it from people who actually HAVE money these days (i.e. banking executives, terrorists, and white collar criminals).

But, when push comes to shove, we cannot afford -- as a community -- to cut back any further on our emergency protection. I say "emergency protection" rather than "fire protection" because the folks at RRFPD help us with a lot of things besides firefighting. They provide our ambulances and paramedics when we call 911; help with logistics and evacuations during floods and other emergencies; and they do proactive stuff like memorable and well-received safety presentations for schools and various other organizations. The elementary school kids absolutely adore them.

It isn't Fire Chief Sean Grinnell's fault that our crappy economy, Proposition 13, Russian River Redevelopment's 30% set-asides from our Special Districts, and the gaping maw of financial mismanagement from the County, State, Feds, and evil banking firms have somehow managed to suck away all of our financial wherewithal to an undisclosed location. The ill-fated Measure G may have been more fair overall, but it was obtuse, complicated, and we therefore voted against it. RRFPD has worked hard to address these issues with the current tax proposal -- which comes up for a vote in June. It's clear, simple, fair, and relatively affordable.

RRFPD needs the money, or they'll have to lay off key personnel and cut services. The money flat-out isn't there. So it's up to us to ensure that it is, for the sake of our ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our businesses, and our visitors. It basically amounts to $15 per month. I know that's a lot for many of us, including me. But if you think of it as a form of insurance (which it basically is), we have little choice but to bite the bullet and pay.

PS -- RRFPD really DOES need to replace their ambulance. They approached RRROC for funding -- from the tax revenues which have been diverted from them, for pete's sake -- with a strong and well-supported proposal. County officials responded that funding would be unlikely because -- apparently -- a replaced or refurbished ambulance does not meet requirements for redevelopment funding. This is blatantly untrue. Apparently the County only funds what it wants to fund. Like ... um ... affordable housing?

Voters give thumbs-down to Measure G

According to the Sonoma County's Registrar of Voters page, Measure G was voted down 58.8% to 41.2%. Measure G was a complicated proposal for an immediate tax increase to provide much-needed funds for the Russian River Fire Protection District, with authority provided for further raising taxes in the future. I suspect that this authorization clause was responsible for Measure G getting voted down.

However, out of 3,090 registered voters, only 1,320 people actually cast their ballots. With a special election turnout of less than 50%, the "NO" vote doesn't exactly qualify as a resounding public mandate.

I wonder why so few people voted on a measure which has such a potentially huge effect on our safety as well as our wallets, & can only venture the following guesses:

• Special elections generally have lower turn-outs than general elections;
  
  
• The wording & proposed tax structure for Measure G was confusing for many people -- even folks who actually follow these things in the news, attend meetings, & slog through the documents.
  
  
• An awful lot of people can't afford the additional taxes &/or object to giving RRFPD carte blanche for ultimately quadrupling the levy per risk unit, but simply didn't have the heart to physically cast a ballot against our fire fighters.

Personally, I would have voted Yes, if Measure G had simply requested the $20 per risk unit RRFPD currently needs -- which would have been twice the $10 per risk unit we're paying now. A single family home is assessed at 4 risk units (or a total of $40 per year); businesses are assigned much higher numbers of units (starting with 8 units just for a freaking PARKING LOT). Measure G would have given RRFPD authorization to quadruple the tax amount up to $80 per unit without any further votes or public accountability. That's $160 per year for a single-family home & can amount to thousands of dollars per year for some of our local businesses & non-profits.

Ultimately, we River Rats & Rattinas WILL need to raise our taxes in order to adequately provide infrastructure & public services (including our fire department, law enforcement, schools, parks & recreation, social services, health services, etc.). But first, we seriously need to work on developing our local economy so that folks have enough money to afford these necessary tax increases.

I'm sorry, RRFPD, but you can't squeeze blood from a stone. Most of us are struggling to pay for gas, catch up on this winter's electric & propane bills, afford the increasing cost of buying groceries, & keep up with the ridiculously high level of property taxes we currently pay to the County. These are all baseline expenses which don't allow much wiggle room. Man, we all could seriously use a RAISE.

For more information about Measure G & related links, please read my previous post, No on Measure G!.

No on Measure G!

For those of you who've been wondering what's up with the all the "NO on MEASURE G" & "SUPPORT MEASURE G" signs, the Russian River Fire Protection District is seeking a tax increase. Sigh. The last thing I want to do is to antagonize folks from my local Fire Department! I also want them to have the resources they need in order to keep us safe. Alas, I don’t feel that the proposed tax increases in Measure G is the right way to go about it.

I’ve talked with many knowledgeable locals, listened to Milo’s thorough interview with Fire Chief Sean Grinell & Measure G supporter Ann Marcino on KGGV FM, & have attempted to decipher the often convoluted language in the Voter Information pamphlet & ballot I received in the mail a few days ago.

If you missed Milo’s interview or have misplaced your ballot, you can follow the links below:

• Milo interview with Fire Chief Sean Grinell & Ann Marcino on KGGV FM: http://www.microbulletinboard.com/Touch/08'04_Apr/mt080401_Milo-Measure'G'(60m-16kBps11kHzM).mp3
• Voter Information Pamphlet: http://www.sonoma-county.org/RegVoter/pdf/20080506_sample_ballot.pdf

A Quick Summary of Measure G

The Russian River Fire Protection District has asked for a tax increase to pay for the hiring of three more fire fighters & to maintain their equipment properly. Currently, homeowners of single-family homes pay $40 per year in taxes for the RRFPD. Business owners pay considerably more.

They initially want single-family homeowners to pay $80 per year with the authorization to incrementally raise these fees up to $160 per single-family home. The RRFPD tax is assessed based upon units of risk (i.e. different types of dwellings & businesses have different levels of risk, which are referred to as “units”). We are currently paying $10 per unit. Mr. Grinell told Milo that the RRFPD currently needs $20 per unit, but that Measure G also seeks authority to increase these payments to a maximum of $40 per unit (yes, they ultimately want to QUADRUPLE the amount).

Below, I’ve created a table with some common types of properties & businesses, their assigned number of risk units, & the maximum amount of yearly tax that would be assessed if Measure G passes. I got these numbers from the Voter Information pamphlet:

Property Description	# of Units	Unit Cost	Amt. Per Year
Single family home	4	$40	$160
Condominium Unit	4	$40	$160
Parking Lot	8	$40	$320
SFH with 2ndary use	10	$40	$400
Dwelling w/granny unit	10	$40	$400
Beach/waterfront	10	$40	$400
Single story store	12	$40	$480
Convenience store	12	$40	$480
Mobile home park	14	$40	$560
Restaurant	15	$40	$600
Retail nursery	15	$40	$600
Gas station	15	$40	$600
Bar/Lounge	20	$40	$800
Religious building	20	$40	$800
Radio station	25	$40	$1000
Theater	30	$40	$1200
Mini golf course	30	$40	$3360
B&B	30	$40	$3360

Fire Chief, Sean Grinell says that they need more personnel because our population has increased; they haven’t received a tax increase since 1987; it’s harder to attract & retain volunteers due to stricter requirements & the 300 hours per year of training required; & much of their current funding is being redirected to the Russian River Redevelopment project.

RRFPD currently has two administrators, nine firefighters, & four volunteer fire department members. The majority of the tax increase would go to the salary & benefits of the three additional fire fighters they propose to add to the department. The three new hires would require about $250K per year.

The Fire Station responds to 1500 emergency calls per year, which averages to three per day. Many of these calls are medical emergencies, which require an ambulance & paramedics with highly specialized training.

Why I’m Against It:

Can’t the RRFPD simply request the additional $10 per unit increase they need right now? According to Mr. Grinnell, this would cover the costs of the three new fire fighters they need. Most of us care about public safety & our fire fighters & would probably vote in favor of increasing our taxes by this amount, which would be twice as much as they receive now.

My main problem with Measure G is that it would authorize the RRFPD to increase our taxes to $40 per unit, which is QUADRUPLE the current amount! Measure G makes no provision for public oversight, nor does it clearly stipulate exactly what conditions would trigger these future tax increases.

Paying the maximum $40 per unit would be financially prohibitive for many individuals & businesses. Of course we want our fire department to have the resources it needs. Alas, you can’t squeeze blood from a stone. The economic downturn has really hurt many of our residents. I know people who’ve been out of work for months on end. I also know people who are behind in rent or whose homes are on the verge of foreclosure.

Our businesses are also struggling. Three businesses in downtown Guerneville have declared bankruptcy this year. Now is NOT the time to ask them for more money. When you look at the table of business categories, units, & costs shown above, the amounts may not look terribly onerous. Until you consider the fact that some businesses fall into multiple categories. For example, Pee Wee Mini Golf on Drake Road also has a parking lot & a little store (that’s 50 units & $2000 per year) The Guerneville Community Church has a religious building, a radio station, AND a parking lot (that’s 53 units & $2120 per year).

Ouch! I think it’s incredibly rude to screw people that hard without first bringing flowers & treating them to dinner, drinks & a movie.

If we’re going to have tax increases, I would also like to see more money going to our schools, Parks & Recreation districts, & for building & staffing a residential rehab center/mental health facility for our homeless population (preferably somewhere WAY out of town & REALLY secluded).

Perhaps we need to simply create a single Russian River district to consolidate & finance all of these separate & under-funded special districts. In the long run, we will definitely need to increase the amount of taxes we pay in order to support our public services & infrastructure. This will require fairness, transparency, & some SERIOUS planning. We can’t afford to simply throw money at problems in a random, piecemeal fashion.

Comparison of Fire Protection District Fees

During his interview with Milo, Mr. Grinnell gave a quick run-down of what single family homeowners pay in other fire protection districts:

• Monte Rio: $0
• Occidental: $80
• Goldridge (South Sebastopol): $20
• Forestville: $40
• Rincon alley: $48
• Cloverdale: $88
• Valley of the Moon: $40
• Kenwood: $20, plus $10 per extra “out-building”
• Valley of the Moon: $40
• Schell Vista: $0, but they’ve raised public bonds for it.
• Windsor: $147.50
• Bodega Bay: $468 (omigawd! That’s totally INSANE)