FAQ’s
What are the proposed rates for the Benefit Assessment?
Where can I find the District’s Financial Statements?
https://www.ncfpd.org/district-financials
Will you explain why relying on grant funding and other-onetime funds is not sustainable?
Grants are not sustainable as there is no guarantee that the district will be awarded those grants. 5 previous layoffs were due to a grant that ran out and the district was unable to sustain staffing levels.
Has there been any discussion of establishing a reserve firefighter program to augment staffing?
NCFPD currently has an active reserve firefighter program. We are currently working on bolstering our Reserve Firefighter program. We have 8 personnel and augmenting with 8 more.
How would shutting a fire station affect fire insurance rates?
Shutting down a fire station would directly affect our ISO rating. Shutting down a station would translate into one less fire engine as well as 2-3 firefighters less arriving at a fire/emergency scene within the first 10 minutes. This would increase ISO ratings and insurance costs.
Are taxpayers still paying the $152.33 CalFIRE Prevention fee?
No. The CalFIRE Fire Prevention Fee was suspended effective July 1, 2017.
How much money did North County Fire Protection District receive from the CalFIRE Prevention fee?
North County Fire Protection District did not receive any funds from the CalFIRE Prevention fee.
Didn’t the Fire District pass a tax measure a couple of years ago?
Measure “T” was on the Ballot in November of 2018 and although it received majority votes, it did not Pass successfully as it needed 2/3 majority votes to be implemented as the rules state for special districts.
I own multiple properties and they vary in “ Use Type” when will I know specifically what my costs will be?
The chart on this list provides the rates for every “Use Type”. The ballot you receive in the mail will indicate the proposed amount for the properties you own.
Don’t the North County residents already pay an EMS tax?
Yes, there is a $5.00 EMS tax that was implemented in the ’90s which provides funding to replenish EMS supplies used on medical emergencies and to fund a portion of EMS training for personnel. This generates approximately $30,000 in revenue per year.
I missed the community meeting on April 6th. Is there a way for me to get the information?
Yes. We will be hosting another Community Meeting (via webinar/phone conference) on April 22, 2021, at 2 pm. Please contact carolina.bravo@ncfpd.org for more information.
When will I receive my ballot?
Ballots will be mailed out on April 28th, 2021 to all property owners in the District.
When are the ballots due?
Ballots are due by end of the Public Hearing on June 15th, 2021.
How old are the District Fire Engines? How much would it cost to replace one?
Can the Board reset the base assessment without voter approval? Is the annual rate adjustment limited strictly to CPI adjustment?
The assessment CANNOT be doubled or tripled annually as some comments incorrectly state Prop 218 specifically prevents this to protect taxpayers. It can only be increased by annual CPI not to exceed 3%. (For example, for 2021, the actual CPI is 2.00% and that would be the max allowable increase). The new “rate” that statement is referring to is based off whether or not the Board approves the CPI Increase. We can address this at our community meeting this week.
For example, the balloted rate is $97.91…. if approved, next year the district will have to provide a budget to complete the ER which will either have a funding need of $97.91… or $97.91 + CPI Increase… That is the “new rate” the Board is approving. Not a doubled or tripled amount. The Rate in question every year is only based around taking a CPI Increase or not.
The CPI (not to exceed 3%) is applied to the previous annual rate, compounded if the district takes an increase. For example,
Scenario below: Assuming next year (2nd year) the CPI is above 3%, district takes a max 3% … the 3% increase is applied to the $97.91 rate. And let’s say year 3 the cpi is 2%.. The assessment can therefore only be increased by 2% applied to the previous years’ rate of $100.84.
The largest battery storage facility in the world is being built on that site. Did the county have to give away property tax concessions to locate there? If not, wouldn't they pay similar property taxes?
The District identified a funding shortfall in fiscal year 2019/20 and 2020/21 prior to receiving expected property tax revenue from the Moss Landing Battery Energy Storage project (MLPP). The District approached MLPP and asked for assistance with the funding gap. The MLPP agreed to fill the funding gap through a funding agreement between the MLPP and North County Fire District in the form of one-time payment(s) of $300K per year, for a total of 2 years (FY 2019/20 and 2020/21). This funding gap was corrected to support the District’s ability to support the local community and the MLPP while it is being built. The MLPP is scheduled to be completed in late June of this year. It is important to point out that the funding is a temporary measure to help maintain the existing 22 personnel until such time as the MLPP property tax roll captures the project’s improvements and increases the property tax it generates. It is anticipated that the property tax revenue increase will be about $300k per year. In short, we are already using this money through the funding agreement and it will only help sustain the existing 22 firefighters that are currently on the payroll.
Why is the Fire District the one receiving and counting the ballots?
The fire district is receiving the ballots, the ballots are to remain sealed and will not be opened until the June 15th public hearing. The ballot counting process will be overseen by an outside contracted company and members of the public are also invited to witness. Board members will also be present. Board members are elected by the citizens of North Monterey County and are direct representation “of” and “for” the community. For the purposes of ballot tabulation, the North County Fire District Clerk of the Board is an impartial person designated by the agency who does not have a vested interest in the outcome of the proposed assessment.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions space will be limited and only a certain amount of people will be allowed to view the ballot tabulation at a given time.
Why do the firefighters drive the big enormous fire engine everywhere including to medical emergencies and to the grocery store?
Firefighters are to be readily available for any emergency at any given time. As soon as one emergency is mitigated the crew updates dispatch that they are available from the scene of the current emergency. The next call may be a vehicle fire, a house fire or a rescue call, there is no time to go back to the station and get a different vehicle. The Fire engine is built to carry all equipment necessary for an all-risk emergency response. Being a rural fire department with no hydrants in a lot of areas, our fire engines carry 750gls. of water. Large fire departments do have the option of staffing separate ambulances, rescue squads and ladder trucks. A small fire district struggling to staff three fire engines with only two personnel cannot sustain separate types of vehicles for different type of emergencies. All this applies when the crew needs groceries to make it through a 48 hour shift and at times 72 & 96 hours if they have to cover for extended periods. Firefighters are encouraged to plan ahead for typical scheduled shifts and buy groceries before work, but at times it is not feasible when working extended periods.