Healdsburg Fire Officials Push New Sales Tax

We’ll see a measure on our ballots this March, called Measure H, that would add a half-cent sales tax to any purchases made within Sonoma County. The resulting money — around $60 million per year, or $1.5 million in Healdsburg specifically — would add staff to local fire departments, including ours, so they can respond more quickly to fires while making sure they don’t lag on all the other kinds of emergencies they handle. Healdsburg fire chief Jason Boaz and Petaluma fire chief Jeff Schach, who graduated from Healdsburg High in the early ’90s, gave their pitch at the City Council meeting last night. “The goal of this measure,” Schach said, “is basically keeping smaller fires small by having resources available for quick response times for medical calls, car accidents and other incidents in more rural areas as well.” And Boaz said that here in town, he would use some of the money to staff up at the new fire substation being built across from the Montage resort. “It will definitely enhance service to the north area of Healdsburg and relieve some of the pressure on our downtown engine company,” he said — allowing “our downtown station to be pulled up to the north end less frequently.” The Press Democrat’s editorial board has also come out in support of the new sales tax. You can watch the fire chiefs’ full pitch on the City of Healdsburg’s Facebook page. (Source: City of Healdsburg via Facebook & Northern Sonoma County Firefighters via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)