How to resolve AdBlock issue? Measure L needed a supermajority vote of at least 66.7 percent to pass on the November ballot. It received a 67.9 percent “yes” vote to a 32 percent “no” vote.
It assesses up to $10 per benefit unit, ranging from 16 units for vacant land of under an acre to 20 units for a single family dwelling, and up to 250 units for commercial buildings of 10,000 square feet and above.
Jim Comisky, president of the South Lake County Fire Protection District Board of Directors and himself a retired firefighter, said Measure L will appear on tax bills in the next tax cycle, at the end of 2019.
“We won’t see the money for almost a year,” he said.
Comisky said Measure L is estimated to generate $1.795 million annually.
No formal argument was filed against Measure L, with opposition to the tax coming from community members who questioned the need for more money at a time when the south county is continuing to rebuild from wildland fires including the 2015 Valley fire, one of the most destructive in state history.
However, district officials maintained that they had no choice if they were to maintain services.
Comisky said the district has a $1.3 million shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, which the tax is meant to address.
He said the issues that led to the funding shortfall are twofold.
First, the district lost 1,958 structures in the Valley fire. Of that number, only 400 have been rebuilt, which Comisky said has had a huge impact on property tax. He said rebuilding is continuing, but many people have walked away, either building or buying elsewhere.
However, he said the biggest hit they took was the significant increase of more than $1 million annually in the cost for a contract the district currently has with Cal Fire to staff stations. Before the increase that contract totaled about $2.4 million annually.
When the minimum wage went up, Cal Fire had to raise seasonal wildland firefighters’ pay, Comisky said. “It was a domino effect.”
It was the first significant raise Cal Fire firefighters had had in years. “The costs for our contract had to reflect that,” Comisky explained.
He said the district had only half of what it needed to pay for the contract. “We very much value this relationship with Cal Fire.”
State Sen. Mike McGuire had helped secure $2 million annually from the state to cover the Cal Fire contract through 2018, but once those funds ran out, the district needed to pursue the fire tax.
Comisky said he cares about paramedics and ambulances being able to respond to help community members when needed. He said he doesn't care if his home burns down. “I can’t rebuild my family.”
He said the district is working with the county and also has hired an attorney specifically to handle issues related to the measure and to produce a document to guide the district as it moves forward. They also plan to educate taxpayers about what comes next.
Besides the measure, Comisky said the district will continue to explore more ways to deliver services to the community.
He said he’s talked with different fire chiefs and is looking at regional cooperation.
“We’re going to continue to have those discussions,” he said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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