South Placer Fire Board vote to place funding measure on November ballot

The South Placer Fire District (SPFD) Board of Directors voted to place the South Placer Fire Protection District Fire and Emergency Medical Response Measure on the ballot at its May Board meeting. This measure will appear on the November ballot in Loomis and Granite Bay. The District has faced significant funding challenges for years which has resulted in two fire station closures in Granite Bay, difficulty attracting and retaining emergency medical responders, deferred maintenance and equipment replacement, and more. Funding challenges started nearly 50 years ago when Granite Bay residents began paying a $70 parcel tax on residential properties without an adjustment for inflation. Additionally, while costs to provide fire protection and emergency medical services have dramatically increased over the last 50 years, the district's share of the Proposition 13-limited property tax has not. The district, on average, gets about 12 percent, of 1 percent, which results in just pennies on the dollar. In 2017, when the South Placer Fire Protection District consolidated with the Loomis Fire Protection District, residential properties in Loomis had an existing parcel tax of $130 per year, and a benefit assessment of $276 per year, totaling approximately $406 per year. This has created an inequitable situation for residents across the district. This measure, if passed, would repeal the two parcel taxes in Loomis and Granite Bay, require the SPFD Board to repeal the assessment in Loomis, and establish a single, uniform $375 annual parcel tax on single-family parcels. Additionally, commercial and industrial properties have historically underfunded fire and emergency medical response services; this measure now ensures those properties are paying appropriate amounts. This measure will generate an additional $2.5 million dollars for a total of $5.75 million, annually. At the May 19 board meeting, Chief Darin Snedeker shared background and historical context for those in attendance. "You might be wondering, at this point, some of you astute listeners … how are they even surviving? One way this fire department is functioning despite being structurally underfunded compared to neighboring agencies, is by our Apprentice Firefighters. Fifteen percent of our workforce is comprised of Apprentice Firefighters. I don't want to take anything away from the position, nor the individuals that fill these spots. They do a great job, but let me explain. These six employees are firefighter EMT's who work on your ambulances. They do not meet the same requirements as a full-time firefighter. These are young adults whom we hire, train, and help offset the cost of paramedic school, while we leverage them to fill what should be full-time positions on our first out companies. These apprentices make the same amount of money as the folks at Chipotle. At some point - 25 plus years ago – decisions were made to supplement the work force with this underpaid, underrepresented job classification, instead of fixing the root of the problem which is clearly the long-standing funding issue. We pay to train these apprentice firefighters, and when they're trained, they leave to go to neighboring districts and departments that can pay more." The additional funds generated by this measure would: Maintain equipment and plan for replacements Attract and retain experienced emergency medical responders Improve the ability to fight fires and save homes and structures when fires occur Reopen closed fire stations Invest in training Repeal existing inequitable taxes and assessments Establish a uniform rate for the District In 2022, SPFD tried for a benefit assessment - which was unsuccessful - obtaining only 46.9 percent of the vote. A benefit assessment is a weighted vote of only property owners within the SPFD boundaries. This measure is considered a special tax, requires passage at the 2/3 threshold and can be voted on by any registered voter within the SPFD boundaries. "This is a long-time coming," said SPFD Board President Tracy Randall. "We have been examining potential funding solutions that are fair and equitable not just for the District, but for the community, too. I began my career in the fire service at one of our closed fire stations. This is a great district to be a part of, yet, at current pace, we just cannot attract and retain the experienced emergency medical responders we need, and our community deserves." For more information on the measure or to view the special tax presentation, visit southplacerfire.org/funding-measure/south-placer-fire-protection-district-ordinance-2026/.