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Kern County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
Measure K
Paramedic Training
County Service Area 40, Pine Mountain Club Zone of Benefit 1
Parcel Tax - 2/3 Approval Required

Pass: 874 / 75.41% Yes votes ...... 285 / 24.59% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures
Results as of Jan 24 10:33am, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (2/2)
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments |

In order to provide funding for firefighter paramedic services within County Service Area No. 40 (Pine Mountain Club) shall Ordinance G-7748 providing for a parcel tax on all parcels within County Service Area No. 40 at the annual rate of $70 for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 and establishing the formula for setting the tax for future years be enacted?

Impartial Analysis from the County Counsel
A "Yes" vote by at least two-thirds of the voters voting on this measure will enact an ordinance authorizing the Kern County Board of Supervisors to levy annually a special tax in the amount of seventy dollars ($70.00) per improved or unimproved parcel of real property located within the boundaries of County Service Area Number 40. The special tax, if approved, will take effect January 1, 2009 for the fiscal year 2009-10 and shall continue thereafter.

The special tax revenues shall be used solely to fund firefighter paramedic services for County Service Area Number 40 ("CSA No. 40) which is commonly known as Pine Mountain Club. The Kern County Board of Supervisors may increase the special tax annually based on the Consumer Price Index but in no event may the annual increase exceed five percent (5%).

The proceeds of the tax will be deposited in a separate account within the County Treasury. The County Administrative Officer or his or her designee shall file an annual report with the Board of Supervisors. That report will contain the amount of funds collected and expended and the status of the projects authorized.

This measure also seeks voter approval for an increase in CSA No. 40's appropriations limit in an annual amount equal to the aggregate annual sum which is authorized to be levied for the special tax for a four year period commencing on July 1, 2009. Under article XIII B of the California Constitution, each governmental entity that can levy a tax must have an appropriations limit. The purpose of the appropriations limit is to set the maximum amount of tax revenue that a taxing entity can spend in any fiscal year. The Constitution permits voters to authorize an increase in an entity's appropriations limit for a maximum of four years.

A copy of the ordinance which is the subject of this measure is available at the Clerk of the Kern County Board of Supervisors.

This wording applies to Measure K:

This is an impartial analysis of Measure K. If you want a copy of the resolution ordering the election to vote on Measure K, please call Kern County Elections at (661) 868-3590 or 1-800-452-8683 and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you.

   News and Analysis

KGET

Mountain Enterprise
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Arguments For Measure K
My husband died while waiting for an ambulance with an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedic in Pine Mountain in 2005. Since then I have learned more about the entanglement of Kern County politics with our emergency medical service than I ever wanted to know. Our local Fire Department with an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) arrived at our home within 8 minutes but there isn't much they can do except first aid and oxygen. Together we waited at least an hour for Hall Ambulance with an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedic to arrive.

Why is this important you? The answer is: BECAUSE NOTHING HAS CHANGED! Emergency medical care on our mountain remains regularly unde- pendable, frequently unprofessional and generally unsupervised except by the ambulance provider itself. We have had three publicized mismanaged close calls in the past year; the rattle snake bite, the woman bit by her dog and the teenager with seizures at our pool. And, I promise you, that there are many more cases, never made public that I have heard about.

This November Pine Mountain registered voters will vote for 24/7 (ALS) Para- medic coverage in our Fire Station. Yes, it will cost us an addition to our property tax of less than $70 dollars a year with an increase capped at 5% yearly. There is a misconception in our community that we already pay taxes for emergency medical services, WE DO NOT. Our only ALS service comes with Hall Ambulance a private company (owned by the mayor of Bakersfield), a minimum of 20 minutes away if you're lucky, and is paid for by the individual or their medical insurance.

Please vote YES November 4th to update our emergency medical service to the standards of all our surrounding counties. And yes, they all pay taxes for this life saving service.

s/Karen M. Bailey, Resident of PMC

(No arguments against Measure K were submitted)

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Created: January 24, 2009 10:33 PST
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