Fire board delays assessment district, reinstates fire engine Fire board delays assessment district, reinstates fire engine (August 18, 2004)

By Marion Softky
Almanac Staff Writer

California's new budget has given the Menlo Park Fire Protection District a little breathing space before it has to deal further with the harsh realities of raising revenues and/or cutting service.

The district board learned for certain at its August 10 meeting that it will receive $719,000 in property tax funds that the state had threatened to withhold, under an exemption for fire districts.

"Now we have clarity to make service level decisions," said Finance Committee member John Osmer. "This gets us out of the fiscal woods for this fiscal year. Next year we will have to increase revenues or face budget cuts."

Later in the meeting, the board took two major budget-related actions:

** It postponed the public process of creating a special assessment to raise additional funds for fire suppression, from next month until after the first of next year. In either case, the new funds would not come in before late 2005. The district's budget for 2004-05 is $18.5 million.

** It canceled the budget-cutting measure of holding one pumper engine out of service from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for 180 days, at least until the fourth quarter of this fiscal year. Then it will look at its finances to see if the measure needs to be reinstated.

Assessment delayed

Postponing the community forums that start the process of gaining approval for a Fire Suppression Special Assessment from September to next year will give the district more time to hone its message and persuade homeowners and businesses in Menlo Park, Atherton and East Palo Alto to support the asssessment.

"If we do it in September or next July, we'll see the money at the same time," Mr. Osmer said. He added, "Postponing doesn't mean we need the money less."

The assessment may be needed when the state deficit balloons to $8 billion in three years, Fire Chief Paul Wilson explained. The state already takes $2.4 million from district property taxes under a funding shuffle known as ERAF, or Education Revenue Augmentation Fund. "When we come to year three, they'll be coming back for local dollars," he said.

The district board has promised it will collect the assessment, if it is approved by district property owners, only if the state takes away more money, Chief Wilson said.

The board delayed the assessment proceedings in part because the consultant, MuniFinancial, had not completed the engineering report, which gives the assessments for each parcel. The first community forum had been set for September 1 in East Palo Alto.

Individual assessments would be based on the benefit to each property as calculated by MuniFinancial. The maximum amount that could be raised by assessments would be $1.5 million per year, or 10 percent of the property taxes coming to the district, according to Chief Wilson.

The delay in establishing the assessments will also avoid the confusion of the general election in November and the holiday season right afterward. "Taking it away from the general election is a good thing for us," said Director Bart Spencer.

The assessment election would be conducted by a mail-in ballot. The county elections department may be available to oversee counting of the mail-in ballots -- a task it can't handle this fall.

Hooray for Engine 1

About a dozen red-shirted firefighters applauded when the board agreed to reinstate full-time service for Engine 1, the pumper engine that was being taken out of service for 12-hours on about half of the nights in a year as a cost-cutting measure.

Division Chief Randy Shurson reported the district saved $9,780 during the first nine nights the truck had been out of service. There were no fires in Engine 1 territory on those nights, but two events occurred where backup from Engine 1 could have been needed. The program was designed to save $220,000 and avoid shutting down an entire firehouse, he said.

Several firefighters expressed worry that the lack of backup, particularly near the perimeter of the district, left them exposed. "It's a daunting feeling," said Captain Greg Auger of Station 4 on the Alameda de las Pulgas.

This is an emotional thing for the firefighters, said Division Chief Shurson. "They're worried about the people they're protecting, and they're worried about themselves."

E-mail a friend a link to this story.