Sonoma County fire agencies push parcel tax measures

Bay City News Service

Three fire agencies in west Sonoma County are asking voters in the Nov. 5 election to approve parcel taxes that will raise money for staff increases and operations. The measures each require two-thirds approval.

The Occidental Community Services District’s Measure C would generate an estimated $250,000 annually for fire suppression and prevention, emergency medical response services and paid staffing positions for the Occidental Volunteer Fire Department.

The Gold Ridge Fire Protection District’s Measure E parcel tax would generate about $1.2 million annually. The district provides fire and emergency services in unincorporated areas of Sonoma County between Sebastopol and Cotati.

The Gold Ridge Fire Protection District has paid and volunteer firefighters and three stations located in Freestone, Hessel and Twin Hills.

The Graton Fire Protection District’s Measure F parcel tax would raise about $800,000 annually. The all-volunteer, 26-square-mile fire protection district serves Sonoma County residents north of Sebastopol and west of Santa Rosa and responds to around 800 calls for service a year. Theall-volunteer firefighters also include the fire chief.

The amount of the tax in the three measures varies depending on the use of the property; residential, lodging, commercial, industrial or warehouse. If approved, the measures will take effect following certification of the election results, and the taxes would be levied starting in fiscalyear 2020/2021.