Forestville Fire considers parcel tax

The Forestville Fire Protection District will hold two public
hearings this month to determine whether or not homeowners would be
receptive to paying a new and additional parcel tax to help meet
the costs and the general needs of the district.
Many business owners, too, would be required to pay the new
annual tax of $75, which would be imposed on all “improved parcels
of real property” within the boundaries of the district.
Homeowners in the FFPD are currently paying a maximum of $40 a
year on a parcel tax established in 1982. Commercial and industrial
parcel tax rates vary due to the size of the parcel, and whether or
not it is improved or unimproved.
If the proposed parcel tax were to pass, homeowners would
continue to pay up to $40 a year for the original tax and an
additional $75 a year for the new tax, or a combined total of $115
a year.
However, the proposed parcel tax does not apply to a vacant
parcel — in other words a parcel without a structure on it.
For example, the owner of a vineyard would not be required to
pay the new parcel tax unless there was a structure on the property
— such as a house or office — which is not the case with the
current parcel tax.
The current parcel tax has over the years created enough revenue
for the district to keep up with the general cost of business, Fire
Chief Dan Northern said. But, over the course of the next five to
15 years, the district is going to need to replace almost all of
its fire engines, protective clothing, breathing apparatus, and
make repairs to its station, which is 35 years old and in need of a
new roof, for example.
“When you add that all up, it exceeds our revenue,” Northern
said.
“Forestville is a very stable community. There is no growth,
which we all appreciate. There really isn’t much turnover in homes
either, so as far as the general property tax we receive, it
doesn’t grow by much. So even if the economy was to turn around
there would not be sufficient revenue to do what needs to be done
to maintain existing services,” the fire chief said.
The district board will hold public hearings at 6 p.m., on July
13 and July 20, at the FFPD’s station, located at 6554 Mirabel
Road.
If the board approves the proposed ordinance after the second
public hearing, a special tax parcel measure will be placed on the
November ballot. The measure would require two-thirds voter
approval to pass.
The Forestville Fire Protection District — officially formed in
1948 — today operates on a budget of $1.1 million. A poor economy
and a no-growth community led to the chief’s (paid) hours being cut
in half — from 40 a week to 20 a week — earlier this month. The
move is expected to save the fire district about $56,000 a
year.
In addition to Northern, six paid firefighters and 21 volunteers
make up the department, which covers 25 square miles, a population
of 8,500, and responds to nearly 700 emergencies a year.