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Proposition 218 Election—FAQs Twenty Questions
1. What is a Proposition 218 election?
In the mid-1990s California voters ratified an election process to assist in providing a dedicated funding source for vital
public services. That process is now commonly referred to as a “218 Election.”
2. How does it work?
In Mariposa County’s situation, once the elected Board of Supervisors so requests, the County Administrative Officer (CAO)
identifies the purpose, amount of needed funding, and legal boundaries of the area requiring that needed service or service
enhancement. When complete, the 218 Election proposal must be ratified by the Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO). Once
approved by LAFCO, the proposal moves to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. For additional information on LAFCO
please reference the County Website under Planning Department.
3. Who votes in a 218 Election?
Since the direct benefits of a 218 Election are property owners within the defined service area boundaries, only property
owners can cast a ballot. Once the Board of Supervisors approves the plan, the CAO will mail ballots directly to property
owners of record within the service area. Ballots can be returned in person or by return US Mail within the defined time
period.
4. How is the ballot question determined?
In order to be ratified a simple majority, fifty percent plus one, of the ballots returned is required.
5. What will the boundaries be for the Fire Department 218 Election proposal?
Every County property owner who benefits from funds generated from this proposal will be included in the service
area. The boundaries will coincide with the Mariposa County boundaries and exclude properties currently served by Mariposa
Public Utility District (MPUD). MPUD’s fire department is a separate legal entity and is funded by a monthly service fee for
fire protection. The balance of the area will be known as a County Service Area (CSA).
6. If I vote to improve fire service through the CSA, how can I be certain those funds will not be diverted for other
County funding needs?
Included in the ballot proposal is a specific use for those funds. In the case of the Fire Department CSA, the
purpose is designated only to capital improvements for the fire department. Those funds can only be expended to meet those
very specific issues. In this case the funds can only be used to purchase fire apparatus, improve or replace fire stations, or
purchase fire department equipment and tools. Funds cannot be used to hire staff nor can any other County department access
those funds.
7. How is the assessment amount determined?
There are two ways the annual assessment is determined. First, a maximum amount that can be assessed each year is set by the
terms of the original ballot proposal. The only way that amount can be raised is by a new 218 Election. Secondly, the Board of
Supervisors must annually determine the assessment level up to the approved maximum based on a budget request submitted by the
Fire Chief. If the maximum amount is not needed in a given year, the Board of Supervisors may set a lower assessment.
8. Does this CSA continue forever?
Absolutely not. This proposal calls for a 15-year sunset. Once the fifteen-year term expires, the only way to continue the CSA
is by a new 218 Election.
9. Why is a Fire Department CSA needed?
Don’t my taxes already fund fire service? Yes and no. In 1994 Mariposa County created a formalized fire department
charged with providing primary response to structure fires, vehicle fires, emergency medical incidents, motor vehicle
collisions, hazardous material incidents and any other emergency not associated with wildland fire. By State code, Cal Fire is
charged with responding to all wildland or vegetation fires within Mariposa County. Through a formal mutual aid agreement,
Mariposa County Fire Department (MCFD) provides assistance to Cal Fire for their primary responsibility and Cal Fire and MPUD
provides assistance to MCFD to fulfill its primary responsibilities. In the past, the County General Fund Budget has provided
funding for fire department administration and equipment maintenance but fire engines and fire stations have been
traditionally purchased through volunteer company fundraising and community donations. With rare exception, all capital
purchases to support MCFD have been generated through the generosity of volunteers and their neighbors.
10. Why can’t the County purchase one new fire engine per year? Why is it necessary to acquire all eleven engines and four
water tenders at once?
In 1998 and after already serving a full life of service, a fleet of retired engines was purchased from Kern County.
Even though they were well worn, they were an improvement over the previous apparatus. The Kern fleet was intended to serve as
a “bridge or temporary” solution permitting time to replace them one per year. Had that replacement occurred, today MCFD would
be better than two-thirds complete in fleet replacement. However, not a single replacement engine has been acquired and the
current fleet rests on a precipice of collapse. Most replacement parts for the Kern engines are now unavailable and must be
custom manufactured as needed. The proposed lease/purchase over 15 years will facilitate fleet replacement by “paying for one
each year” at 2008 prices.
11. Why can’t we continue with what has worked so well in the past?
All emergency response provided by MCFD is provided by volunteer members from your neighborhood. Over the years, local, State,
and Federal training and certification demands have increased many times over. During that same time, career and family time
demands have also intensified. The net result is reduced volunteer membership and less time to sponsor pancake breakfasts and
chicken dinners. Combined with ever-increasing national standards for fire apparatus and equipment safety, local fund raising
has become ineffective and no longer viable for most of our communities. Fire engines are very expensive to purchase and
maintain. National age and safety standards have made acceptable used fire engines almost unavailable and very expensive.
Also, in the post-9/11 era, fire stations have become increasingly more important as critical public infrastructure. Fire
stations must not only serve day-to-day service needs, they must survive major disasters and serve as a community center to
assist in acute needs as well as long term recovery centers. These capital needs can no longer be supported by volunteer
fundraisers.
12. Will this CSA fund all the Fire Department’s financial needs?
No. Through a State-ofthe-Fire-Department presentation to the Board of Supervisors in mid-2007 the Fire Chief identified four
major areas in need of financial enhancement. Associated with that presentation was a 15-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
that summarized those needs and estimated a cost. In 2007 dollars, the CIP estimated the need for $13.3 million worth of
purchases and fire station improvements. The CSA will fund replacement of some fire engines and water tenders as well as a
small portion of fire station upgrade or replacement. However, additional funds will be required to meet the long-term capital
improvement needs of the fire department. As proposed, the 218 Election and CSA will provide approximately $7.9 million over
15 years.
13. Where will the balance of the required funding come from?
The Board of Supervisors, CAO, and Fire Chief are working diligently to identify additional funding sources. During the
2007/08 Budget year MCFD qualified for over $1.5 million in grant funding including one new fire engine and replacement of
vital self-contained breathing air equipment. In addition, other sources such as Federal Title III funds, Master Tobacco
Settlement funds, and General Fund sources are under consideration. However, in order to maintain a viable emergency response
system over the next 15 years, it will take a concerted effort on everyone’s part to adequately fund the CIP.
14. What role will volunteer responders play in providing emergency service over the next fifteen years?
Since its inception and for well into the foreseeable future, MCFD will continue to rely entirely on highly trained volunteer
members to provide for your emergency service needs. None of the proposed funding can be expended to hire additional
employees, administrative or operational. MCFD’s volunteer members receive no compensation for training or responding. MCFD’s
volunteers are dedicated to serving your emergency needs at any time of day or night and under the most adverse of conditions.
Emergency response is recognized as one of the most dangerous activities anyone can undertake. From the minute the pager
summons MCFD’s members, they place their lives and health in jeopardy. They also place their family’s health at stake to help
those who cannot always help themselves. This community must provide them with safe and contemporary tools.
15. What is the value provided by MCFD’s volunteer members?
According to data captured throughout calendar year 2007, MCFD’s volunteer members donated over $300,000 in time and
out-of-pocket expenses to their communities. That amount was calculated based on volunteer time spent responding to emergency
calls-for-service and training as well as estimated fuel, laundry, and child care expenses. MCFD utilized State compensation
schedules to calculate the value of actual donated time. In addition, sources such as IRS mileage allowances and estimates of
miles driven were added to the total. However, MCFD believes those dollar amounts to represent but the “tip of the iceberg” in
time and money donated to serving your needs. If it were possible to capture an accurate accounting of all time and true
out-of-pocket expenses, the value provided by volunteer members may be triple or quadruple that amount. By comparison, it is
estimated that the annual lease payment for all proposed fire apparatus replacement will be approximately $350,000 or
substantially less than the true dollar value contributed by MCFD’s members.
16. What would it cost to provide emergency response without volunteers?
In 2007 MCFD responded to 1,022 emergency calls-for-service spread over the entire County. That represents a 20.8 percent
increase from the year previous. To do so with career employees working traditional staffing schedules would be impossible.
National standards define an adequate minimum fire response to a residential structure fire as fourteen personnel and to a
commercial structure fire as fifty-four personnel. Consequently, a fully career fire department for Mariposa County is not
logical or financially feasible. However, should it become necessary to provide career staffing to address the majority of
non-fire emergency calls, at least five County fire stations should be staffed by two responders 24 hours each day. To do so
would cost between $2.25 million and $3.75 million in personnel costs alone. That does not include the cost of apparatus,
equipment, or fire stations.
17. Why must all of the fire engines be replaced at once?
The CIP does not provide for replacing all apparatus at one time. The most serviceable of the current fleet will be
retained as reserve engines as required by national standards. However, due to the age and state of disrepair of the current
fleet, it is necessary to replace eleven first-out engines and four water tenders immediately. The fleet’s fire engines
average more than 33 years of use. By national standards, 20 years is the maximum serviceable age for fire engines. In
addition, fire insurance standards require annual pump testing and certification and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
requires periodic safety inspections of all large vehicles. Until recently, MCFD’s fleet had no current pump certificates and
the vehicles have not undergone regular safety inspections. As a result of recent efforts, several have been “red tagged”
(permanently removed from service) for safety reasons and an exorbitant amount of money has been invested to marginally repair
and certify pumps. After expending an estimated $240,000 in fiscal year 2007/08 to test and repair apparatus, the fleet
remains 33 years old and unsatisfactory by national standards. Every time an unsafe fire engine or water tender leaves a
station, the lives and well being of MCFD’s members and the public who shares the roadways are placed in jeopardy.
18. What are the consequences of not replacing fire engines?
Beyond the life safety issues, fire insurance rates depend on a jurisdiction maintaining and demonstrating the ability to
provide fire protection to a national standard. Both availability and affordability of fire insurance from many providers
depends on meeting those standards. Serviceable fire engines are an integral element in that equation. If, during future
re-ratings, it is determined by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) that MCFD’s fire engines and water tenders do not meet
national standards, fire insurance availability may be severely limited and rates may rise dramatically. Estimates of reduced
availability and increased price vary greatly from company to company. Also, most home mortgages require fire insurance be
maintained. To fully understand those implications you should consult with your insurance agent.
19. As a homeowner, what will the CSA cost me?
A 218 Election cannot set assessment rates based on home or property value. The assessment must be based on types of property
and levels of development as they impact the required service. As proposed, an improved piece of property will be assessed $80
per year. At that rate, regardless of the size and value of the home, the CSA fee will cost a homeowner less than $1.55 per
week. While increased property taxes or fees are never palatable, $1.55 per week pales when compared to potential increases in
annual fire insurance premiums.
20. How does MCFD plan to avoid this situation in future years?
County Fleet Policy currently mandates maintenance and amortized vehicle replacement funds be set aside on a monthly
basis. However, since all previous fire apparatus has been purchased as used and already beyond its effective service
lifetime, it has been impossible to utilize this process. With the purchase of new apparatus, an expected life cycle will be
assigned and sufficient replacement funds allocated on an incremental basis. By doing so, when it next becomes necessary to
replace these vehicles, the funding will already be in the bank.
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