League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Measure F Special Tax Russian River Fire Protection District 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 1,188 / 71.2% Yes votes ...... 480 / 28.8% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure F

Facts: The Russian River Fire Protection District (RRFPD) has not had a tax in- crease since 1980. Operating costs such as fuel and equipment have risen sub- stantially in the last 30 years. Employees have contributed to cost saving measures by agreeing to pay freezes and paying a portion of their health insur- ance. The District has maintained service by spending reserves since 2005. By June 2011 the RRFPD reserves will be depleted. It is important to note that State law prohibits the District from having a deficit budget. Our emergency professionals are there for us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We need to keep them on the job. Without Measure `F': RRFPD staffing will be reduced; response times will increase, possibly causing the loss of life. Work conditions will be putting staff further at risk and violate state mandates. In short, the quality of professional fire & emergency medical service will be threatened. In addition, our facilities will deteriorate and become outdated, which also erodes our community. Supporting Measure `F': Measure `F' will keep a staff of trained and skilled emergency professionals ready when you or someone you love needs them, saving lives for residents and visitors alike. Measure `F' will also enable RRFPD staff to focus on their real job of fire and emergency medical service, instead of managing chaotic funding. Measure `F' will increase the typical homeowner tax rate, taking it from 11 cents a day to only 38 cents a day. What price would you put on saving your life or your home? /s/ Sam Pullaro Retired Educator /s/ Donna Roper Non-Profit Executive Director /s/ Herman Hernandez Local Business Owner /s/ Jennifer Neeley Non-Profit Fundraising Manager (No arguments against Measure F were submitted)

Full Text of Measure F

Appendix A ORDINANCE NO 09/10-1 AN ORDINANCE OF THE RUSSIAN RIVER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT AUTHORIZING THE DISTRICT TO IMPOSE AND LEVY A NEW SPECIAL TAX TO ASSIST THE DISTRICT IN MEETING THE COSTS OF PROVIDING AND ENHANCING AUTHORIZED SERVICE AND EXERCISING OTHER RIGHTS AND POWERS OF THE DISTRICT AND REPEALING THE DISTRICT'S EXISTING SPECIAL TAX. ________________________________________________________________ The people of the Russian River Fire Protection District ordain as follows: SECTION I. DEFINITIONS For the purposes of this ordinance, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section; unless the context clearly requires a different meaning. The definition of a word or phrase applies to any of that word's or phrase's variants. "Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the Russian River Fire Protection District. "District" means the Russian River Fire Protection District of Sonoma County, California. "Existing Special Tax" means the special tax authorized by and imposed pursuant to Ordinance No 80-1. "New Special Tax" means the special tax authorized by and imposed pursuant to this ordinance. The new special tax is a special tax within the meaning of Article XIII A, section 4 and Article XIII C, section 1 of the California Constitution. "Parcel of Real Property" means a separate parcel of real property having a separate Assessor's parcel number as shown on the secured tax rolls of the County of Sonoma, or an assessment of a structural property on the unsecured tax rolls of the County of Sonoma, or an assessment made by the State Board of Equalization. "Residential" means a permanent building or portion thereof, including manufactured and mobile homes designated or used exclusively as a residence, sleeping room, or living quarters, with kitchen facilities, which constitutes an independent housekeeping unit for one (1) or more persons. Residential does not include a tent, travel trailer, recreational vehicle, or similar vehicle or structure. SECTION II. AUTHORITY This ordinance is adopted pursuant to Article XIII A, section 4, Article XIII B, section 4 and Article XIII C, section 2 of the California Constitution, Article 3.7 (commencing with Section 53720) of Chapter 4 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the California Govermnent Code, Section 13911 of the California Health and Safety Code, and Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Government Code. SECTION III. DETERMINATION OF NECESSITY The amount of revenue available to the District from property taxes and the existing special tax is inadequate to meet the cost of providing or enhancing services pursuant to Section 13862 of the California Health and Safety Code. Therefore, the District must establish a larger stable source of supplementary revenue to assist in meeting the costs of providing such service and exercising the other rights and powers of the District. SECTION IV. PURPOSE OF SPECIAL TAX The purpose for which the new special tax shall be imposed and levied is to raise revenue for the District to use in meeting the costs of (1) providing service pursuant to Section 13862 of the California Health and Safety Code, and (2) exercisingother rights and powers granted to the District in Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 13860) of Part 2.7 of Division 12 of the California Health and Safety Code. SECTION V. SPECIAL TAX AUTHORIZATION AND LIMIT The Board of Directors is authorized to impose and levy the new special tax each year on each parcel of real property within the District, except parcels of real property owned by a federal, state, or local agency, based on the use or right of use of the parcel and for the purpose stated in Section IV of this ordinance. The new special tax shall be imposed in accordance with the schedule set forth in Exhibit "A," attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference. The Board of Directors shall set the rate of the new special tax each year as provided in Section VI of this ordinance, provided that in no year shall the rate exceed the maximum specified in this section. SECTION VI. REPORT AND HEARING ON SPECIAL TAX Each year prior to the imposition of the special tax, the Board of Directors shall cause a report to be prepared showing each parcel of real property subject to the new special tax, the owner(s) thereof, the land use classification applied thereto, and the proposed levy thereon. Upon the receipt of the report, the Board of Directors shall set a date for a public hearing thereon and shall cause notice of the hearing to be given pursuant to Section VIII of this ordinance. At the public hearing, the Board of Directors shall set the rate and make such corrections to the taxes proposed to be levied as may be required to conform to the schedule set for in Exhibit "A". SECTION VII. ANNUAL REPORT ON SPECIAL TAX REVENUES Each year the District shall cause a report to be prepared and filed with the Board of Directors containing information regarding the amount of new special tax revenues collected and expended as well as the status of projects funded with proceeds of the new special tax. SECTION VIII. NOTICE OF HEARING In the absence of state law specifying the procedure for giving notice, notice of any public hearing held pursuant to this ordinance shall be given by posting in at least three (3) public places within the district at least fifteen (15) days prior to the hearing and publishing twice pursuant to Section 6066 of the California Government Code in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation within the District. The notice shall include the date, time, and place of the public hearing, a general explanation of the matter to be considered, and a statement of where additional information may be obtained. SECTION IX. COLLECTION The new special tax shall be collected in the same manner and subject to the same penalty as other charges and taxes collected by or on behalf of the District by the County of Sonoma. The Sonoma County Tax Collector may deduct reasonable administrative costs incurred in collecting the new special tax and deposit the amounts deducted in the Sonoma County General Fund. In accordance with Article 1 (commencing with Section 29300) of Chapter 2 of Division 3 of Title 3 of the California Government Code, there shall be added to the amount of special tax an amount for the reasonable administrative costs incurred in collecting the new special tax. SECTION X. REPEAL OF EXISTING SPECIAL TAX The existing special tax of the District established and levied pursuant to Ordinance 80-1 is repealed. SECTION XI. SEVERABILTY CLAUSE If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional and invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this ordinance. The people of the Russian River Fire Protection District hereby declare that they would have passed this ordinance and every section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrasesbe declared unconstitutional or invalid, except that Section X of this ordinance shall only be effective if the remaining portions of this ordinance are effective. SECTION XII. EFFECTIVE DATE This ordinance shall take effect the day following its approval by two-thirds of the District's qualified voters voting on its approval at the special election on June 8, 2010. APPROVED, by a two-thirds vote of the voters of the Russian River Fire Protection District at the special election held on June 8, 2010, and SO ORDERED. /s/ Frank Lambert President, Board of Directors Russian River Fire Protection District ATTEST: /s/ Debbie Miller Clerk of the Board of Directors EXHIBIT A RUSSIAN RIVER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 2010 SPECIAL TAX PARCEL - USE CODES USE CODE SUMMARIES RATE PER APN ~ VACANT $70.00 SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL $140.00 MULTI FAMILY RESIDENTIAL $140.00 plus $70.00 for each additional unit AGRICULTURAL $175.00 COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL $350.00 ~For parcels of real property with more than four uses, more than one land use classification may be applied to a single parcel to reflect the risk associated with the parcel. Subject to the forgoing sentence, contiguous vacant parcels of real property under the same ownership will be charged a single assessemnt at the highest rate applicable to the use of any of the parcels. USE CODE DETAILS (as adopted and amended by the County of Sonoma) VACANT 000, 001, 002, 003, 005, 006, 020, 040, 050, 053, 080, 081, 082, 100, 101, 102, 200, 301, 302, 540, 560 SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL 010, 013, 014, 015, 016, 017, 018, 051, 054, 055, 056, 090, 091, 092, 095 411, 416, 421, 423, 425, 426, 461, 471, 526, 541, 546, 561 MULTI FAMILY RESIDENTIAL 011, 021, 022, 023, 031, 032, 034, 035, 041, 042, 044, 046, 052, 057, 511, 521, 523, 751, 752 AGRICULTURAL 400, 420, 422, 510, 520, 522 COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL 063, 066, 067, 068, 070, 071, 078, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 120, 121, 140, 141, 152, 154, 170, 171, 175, 178, 190, 191, 192, 193, 198, 201, 202, 210, 213, 214, 240, 250, 254, 255, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 280, 281, 283, 290, 291, 310, 311, 320, 329, 330, 331, 332, 350, 352, 353, 361, 370, 380, 381, 391, 393, 394, 481, 482, 610, 630, 640, 710, 720, 722