As they move forward with a tax measure to fund a countywide fire prevention authority, fire officials have increased representation on the proposed authority’s board, added a citizens’ oversight committee and allowed for more financial flexibility. On Tuesday, Marin County became the first agency to sign the joint exercise of powers agreement between all of the county’s fire agencies that forms the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.
“This is a historic vote,” said Matthew Hymel, the county administrator. “We have known that wildfire is one of the biggest risks facing our residents for many years, and yet the task of getting 19 different agencies together in a coordinated fashion has been daunting.”
The changes are based on feedback from 37 meetings between stakeholders and the working group tasked with creating the authority. On Nov. 5, supervisors will be asked to place a ballot measure imposing a tax of up to 10 cents per building square foot to raise an estimated $21 million, but first 18 local fire agencies will be asked to adopt resolutions of support and sign onto the agreement by the end of October.
Originally, the working group proposed an 11-member board and split Marin into five zones, with two elected officials representing each zone; fire protection districts would have shared the eleventh seat. Now, the group proposes a 19-member board, with each fire agency in the county represented by one member. Representatives from the Inverness Public Utility District, Stinson Beach Fire Protection District, Bolinas Fire Protection District, Muir Beach Community Services District and the 15 other agencies with fire and taxing authority would be appointed by their boards. For the authority to take action, both the majority of members and 50 percent of the represented population would be required.
“This allows for smaller agencies to have a voice, and it also protects some of the larger agencies that carry a great deal of the population,” fire chief Jason Weber said during a presentation to supervisors.
Since fire officials last presented to supervisors, the proposed tax was decreased from 11 cents per building square foot to “up to” 10 cents per building square foot. Multi-family properties would be taxed at $75 per unit, and undeveloped lots would be taxed between $25 and $150 based on lot size. The language allows for the tax to be decreased if the authority completes its projects and enters “maintenance mode,” Mr. Weber said. He envisions the authority being in “full impact mode” for 10 to 20 years, based on the work laid out in the county’s wildfire protection plan.
To address concerns about the tax being indefinite, the authority would conduct a programmatic review every five years to allow for adjustments to how program areas are funded. The current structure stipulates that 60 percent of the authority goes to core functions: a coordinated fire hazard reduction program, wildfire detection, evacuation improvements, grants and education. The remaining 40 percent would be split between a defensible space program for homes and local-specific prevention efforts.
Every year, the new nine-member citizens’ oversight committee would review spending and completed work so they can adopt a report describing the extent to which the funds have been spent consistent with the tax measure. “It will be an opportunity for them to look at the success of the program, so looking backwards every year and looking forwards at the work plan and the finances attached to that,” Mr. Weber said. Five of the committee members would come from five geographical areas in Marin, while the remaining four would represent stakeholders: a taxpayer organization, a non-partisan civic organization, a fire prevention organization and an environmental organization.
Based on feedback from environmental groups, the working group also added language about climate change to the reasoning behind the authority’s creation. “Intensifying climate change and extensive fuel build-up are contributing to the increasing threat of wildfire throughout Marin County, and to the extent possible, should be addressed through ecologically sound practices,” the agreement states.
If the ballot measure fails to receive a two-thirds vote, the agreement between the fire agencies would be terminated. “It has been an arduous process, which is good, and I think the product in the end is the best it can be because of that,” Mr. Weber said.