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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 Truckee Fire Agenda Item # )0 TRUCKEE DONNER District— Workshop To: Board of Directors From: Michael D. Holley Date: February 20, 2008 Subject: Proposed Truckee Fire Protection District Assessment 1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD The District's Code conveys certain authority to the General Manager to conduct the business of the District. Voting for, or against, property assessments is an authority that has not been assigned to the General Manager and is within the purview of the Board. 2. HISTORY There is no history with this particular issue as this is a new assessment. 3. BACKGROUND and NEW INFORMATION The Truckee Fire Protection District has recently scheduled a vote for all property owners within its service area to approve a "Fire Suppression Assessment". The purpose of this proposed assessment is to: obtain, furnish, operate and maintain fire suppression services and apparatus; pay for the cost of firefighting personnel; maintain and reduce response times; and fund programs to reduce fire risks. The Truckee Donner Public Utility District has approximately 63 land parcels that would be subject to this assessment. The annual cost to the District for this assessment is less than $2,000 per year based upon estimates provided by the Fire District. If approved, the cost of the assessment will be subject to an annual adjustment for inflation of up to 3% per year. No land parcels within the Fire District's service area, either public or private, have been excluded from this proposed assessment. An information packet regarding this assessment developed by the Fire District is attached. 4. RECOMMENDATION Receive this report and provide comments. An action item on this matter will be brought to the Board on March 5th, 2008. Michael Holley, General Manager <,p;UCKFF '��RE DISC. Dear Property Owner, As the Fire Chief, I am responsible for the intricate and challenging daily operations of the Truckee Fire Protection District(the "District"). This includes ensuring adequate emergency and administrative support services are provided to you, the customer, today and in the future. Our core services include responding to and extinguishing fires, providing paramedic emergency medical services and ambulance transport. Since our inception in 1894, the District has evolved and now provides many necessary specialty services including: a hazardous materials response team, swift water rescue, dive team, building collapse and extrication rescue, defensible space/fuels reduction specialists, prevention planning and engineering services for building and development. As our community continues to grow, so does the demand for services. Although the District has kept up with the pace of demand, each year resources are continually stretched to their limits and I am concerned about our ability to serve increased demands in the future. Your elected officials are equally concerned about the critical emergency fire-rescue services provided by the District and are not taking this issue lightly. The challenges faced during this past summer's 46 8099 , Washoe and Angora fires gave us a clear understanding of the limitations of our resources. Each major fire has shown us that we must improve our ability to provide a rapid timely response to every fire in order to protect lives, property, the environment, and the economic well being of our communities. We are approaching a critical community decision if we are to make sure the District has the necessary personnel and resources not only to respond to tomorrow's critical emergencies, but also to prevent such emergencies from occurring through effective fire suppression services. I know you are as proud as I am of the District's highly trained professionals that are dedicated to protecting and servicing our community 24 hours a day. To address these concerns, the District Board appointed an "ad-hoc" alternative funding committee to review District funds. After conducting a thorough review of operations, spending and revenue sources, the committee recommended the Board implement a Fire Suppression Assessment (the "Assessment"). The Assessment is an annual charge that would be collected through the County's tax roll on behalf of the District. However, before the District is allowed to adopt and collect such an assessment, the affected property owners must first approve the assessment. If approved, assessment funds can only be accessed by the District and used for fire suppression and protection within the District's service area— not one penny can be diverted by the State. In addition, the District's finance committee will conduct annual audits to ensure that assessment funds are being used properly. On January 29, 2008, the District Board initiated proceedings to conduct a property owner balloting for the proposed Assessment. On February 1, 2008, all affected property owners were mailed ballot packets similar to the one that you have received. Enclosed with this letter are a notice and ballot, which provides a summary of the proposed assessment, answers to commonly asked questions, and identifies the specific assessment on your property. This is your opportunity to show your "support for" or"opposition to" such an assessment, and we urge you to exercise your right to vote on this matter. The District has scheduled a workshop for Tuesday, February 19, 2008 to answer any questions you may have. Sincerely, Bryce E. Keller, Fire Chief Truckee Fire Protection District THE TRUCKEE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT HERBY GIVES NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING A PROPOSED FIRE SUPPRESSION ASSESSMENT WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA OF THE TRUCKEE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT AND The Levy and Collection of Assessments Commencing in Fiscal Year 2008/2009 .�RucrcFF 'c�RE DISC YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON FIRE SUPPRESSION SERVICES WITHIN THE TRUCKEE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT ABOUT THE TRUCKEE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT The Truckee Fire Protection District (the "District") provides fire suppression and protection services through 8 stations in a 116 square mile area that extends from Floriston West - across Donner Summit - along Interstate 80 to the intersection of I-80 and Highway 20. The District includes all of the greater Truckee and Donner Summit area including the Town of Truckee, the Donner Lake area and the Tahoe-Donner subdivision. As part of providing fire protection services to local homes and businesses,the Truckee Fire District provides the initial response to all fires in the area. WHY YOU RECEIVED THIS BALLOT The Board of Directors of the Truckee Fire Protection District has proposed a new annual special assessment to fund fire suppression services in your area. You have received this notice because you own property in the District's service area that will be subject to the proposed new assessment. If this new assessment is approved, the District will levy the new assessment to fund costs associated with maintaining and improving the level of fire suppression services provided by the District. THE PROPOSED ASSESSMENT What is afire suppression assessment? A fire suppression assessment is a special assessment against real property to fund the special benefits that a parcel receives from fire suppression services. The proposed assessment would be collected annually on the property tax bill, beginning with Fiscal Year 2008/2009. What will the assessment be used for? State law permits use of the proceeds of the assessment to: obtain, furnish, operate and maintain fire suppression services and apparatus including the District's emergency communication system;pay the cost of firefighting personnel as to assure that there are always enough personnel available to effectively respond to fire emergencies; maintain and potentially reduce response times; and fund programs that reduce fire risks. All assessment proceeds; aside from those needed to pay costs of administering the assessment,can only be used solely for these purposes. How will I know that assessment proceeds are spent properly? The District's Finance Committee will have access to the District's accounting and audits to make sure assessment funds are being spent properly. Their report(s) will be available to our independently elected Board of Directors and the public for review. How many years will the assessment last? Because the need for fire suppression and protection services will exist as long as there are homes and businesses in the District, the District will levy and collect assessments to fund ongoing fire suppression services provided by the District so long as the need continues. WHAT YOUR VOTE MEANS A "YES" vote means the District would use the funds generated by the assessment to 1) retain and increase fire protection staff in order to maximize its ability to respond effectively to fire emergencies, 2) maintain fire protection services required to protect structures and occupants from fires and resulting property loss and owner liability from injuries to occupants, 3) replace fire suppression equipment and apparatus, including but not limited to, the District's emergency communication system, fire engines, and station operation equipment, 4) maintain and potentially reduce incident response times, and 5) increase the District's efforts with fire suppression services, including but not limited to, property inspection and evacuation planning. A "NO" vote means the District would potentially 1) be unable to increase staff during periods of peak demand, 2) increase response times for fire emergencies as demand increases,due to staffing shortages and 3) have limited funding for fire suppression equipment replacements. PROPERTY OWNER WORKSHOP The District strongly encourages you to participate in the decision-making process regarding the proposed assessment. To this end, the District has scheduled a Property Owner Workshop for February 19, 2008, at 6:00 p.m., at the Truckee Sanitary District's Board Room, located at 12304 Joerger Drive Truckee, CA 96161. The workshop will provide information regarding the District, purpose of the assessment, services and personnel to be funded, ballot proceedings, and affects on the level of services currently being provided if the propose assessment is not approved by the property owners. THE ASSESSMENT BALLOT The enclosed assessment ballot gives you an opportunity to indicate your support for or opposition to the proposed assessment. To make sure your vote is counted, the official assessment ballot must be completed and received by the District prior to the conclusion of the March 18, 2008 Public Hearing on the proposed assessment. Ballots may be mailed to the District before the Public Hearing or hand delivered at the Public Hearing. You may mail your completed ballot, using the return envelope provided,to: Truckee Fire Protection District PO Box 2768 Truckee, CA. 96160 Any ballot mailed to the District office must be received by the District prior to 4:00 PM on March 18,2008.A postmark as proof of mailing is not sufficient. You may also hand deliver your completed ballot at the Public Hearing up to the time of the close of public input portion of the meeting on March 18, 2008. THE PUBLIC HEARING The Board of Directors will hold a public hearing on the proposed assessment at the following date and location: Tuesday,March 18,2008 at 6:00 PM Truckee Public Sanitary District's Board Room 12304 Joerger Drive,Truckee, CA 96161 At the hearing, the Board will consider testimony of all interested persons. You are invited to participate in the hearing. You may also provide written comments to the Board by filing the comments with the Board Clerk prior to or during the Public Hearing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS At the close of the public input portion of the Public Hearing, the Board of Directors will designate an impartial person(s) to tabulate all returned ballots. How will my ballot be counted? Ballots will be weighted according to the proportionate financial obligation of the property (i.e. the amount of the assessment against the property). Each$1 of the Fire Assessment = 1 Vote The District has hired MuniFinancial, an independent consulting firm, to prepare the Engineer's Report, Notice & Ballot, and tabulate the ballots received on behalf of the District. If weighted ballots submitted in opposition to the assessment exceed weighted ballots submitted in support of the assessment, then the Board of Directors will not impose the proposed assessment.Tabulation of the ballots will be open to the public and shall commence at the Public Hearing on March 18th at the Truckee Sanitary District's Board Room. THE METHODOLOGY What is the amount of the proposed assessment? The total annual assessment in Fiscal Year 2008/2009 for all assessable parcels is projected to be$794,065. Residential properties shall be assessed on a per Unit basis and Institutional, Commercial, and Storage / Warehouse properties shall be assessed on a per Parcel basis. The Maximum Assessments for Fiscal Year 2008/2009 are as follows: Residential(1 and 2 units) = $49.00 per Unit Residential (3 or more units) = $45.14 per Unit Commercial = $145.72 per Parcel Institutional = $155.98 per Parcel Industrial / Utility = $140.30 per Parcel Warehouse / Storage = $98.10 per Parcel Unimproved (Vacant) = $3.90 per Parcel The proposed Maximum Assessment against your property, is shown on the attached ballot. The Maximum Assessments for Fiscal Year 2008/2009 listed above will be subject to an annual adjustment for inflation not to exceed 3%. Although the Maximum Assessments will be increased each vear, the District will only levy up to an amount necessary to fund their proposed budget for the applicable fiscal year. How was the assessment calculated? Only parcels that receive special benefit from fire suppression services will be subject to the assessment. The projected fire suppression expenses were allocated among parcels in the District based upon each parcel's land use classification as maintained by the Placer County Assessor's Office or the Nevada County, Assessor's Office. Parcels with uses that are more likely to experience fires are more likely to suffer extensive property damage should a fire occur, and parcels that require more fire protection resources receive a greater degree of special benefit from fire suppression services than other parcels. Consequently,a higher assessment was allocated to these parcels. A more detailed description of the assessment methodology and benefit calculation is contained within the Engineer's Report,which is available for public inspection during business hours at the District's Office,located at 10049 Donner Pass Road,Truckee, CA. 96161. Will there be an appeal process? Yes. The District will provide guidelines for an appeals process for any property owner subject to the assessment that believes their property has been assessed incorrectly. The guidelines for appeal are described within the Engineer's Report on file with the Board Clerk. QUESTIONS??? If you have any questions on vour proposed assessment or the District's fire suppression services related to the assessment,please call the administrative office of the Truckee Fire Protection District at (530) 582-7850. Information related to the District and the proposed fire suppression assessment may also be obtained online at www.truckeefire.org