League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Measure Z Special Tax Measure Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 5,443 / 62.8% Yes votes ...... 3,222 / 37.2% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure Z

Your firefighters urge you to vote for Measure Z. By keeping three fire stations open 24/7, your Fire District can respond to emergency calls in an average of three minutes. But because of declining property values, the District is receiving less property tax revenue. So your Fire District can either lay off firefighters, or ask for your help. Without additional tax revenue, the Fire District will have to brown out one station per day and reduce staff by 25%. This will greatly increase the current three minute response time. The Fire District has used your tax dollars wisely. They have cut expenses by 25%. They have not approved any salary increases in four of the past five years. Their average salaries are 22% lower than neighboring districts. Their retirement system is 1/3 lower than other pension plans in Sonoma County. More importantly, the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District does not have any unfunded pension liability for firefighters. That is something very few fire districts in the State can say. They reduced their health care plan for a total savings of $231,000 since 2009. However, with all the cuts and restructuring, the Fire District had a $177,000 deficit last year. They have been forced to use up their reserves. The deficit this year will be as great or greater than last year. Until the economy gets better, there is a solution. It is Measure Z. Measure Z proposes an additional parcel tax of $60.00 per year (or an additional 12 cents per day) for just eight years. There has not been a Fire District tax increase in 19 years, but your firefighters need your help now. Your firefighters urge you to vote for Measure Z. HELP OUR FIREFIGHTERS 2012 s/ Kathryn Wickstrom, Chair s/ Mark Hemmendinger, Director Director Rancho Adobe Fire District RANCHO ADOBE FIRE DISTRICT s/ Frank Treanor, Chief Financial Officer s/ Steve Davidson, Battalion Chief Rancho Adobe Firefighters (No arguments against Measure Z were submitted)

Full Text of Measure Z

APPENDIX "A" ORDINANCE NO. 2012-01 AN ORDINANCE OF THE RANCHO ADOBE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT AUTHORIZING THE DISTRICT TO IMPOSE AND LEVY AN ADDITIONAL SPECIAL TAX The people of the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District ordain as follows: SECTION I. DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this ordinance, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section unless the context clearly requires a different meaning. The definition of a word or phrase applies to any of that word's or phrase's variants. "Additional Special Tax" means the special tax authorized by and imposed pursuant to this Ordinance. The additional special tax is a special tax within the meaning of Article XIII A, section 4 and Article XIII C, section 1 of the California Constitution. "Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District. "District" means the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District in Sonoma County, California. "Existing Special Tax" means the special tax authorized by and imposed pursuant to Ordinance No. R-8 1996/97. "Parcel of Real Property" means a separate parcel of real property having a separate Assessor's parcel number as shown on the secured tax rolls of the County of Sonoma, or an assessment of a structural property on the unsecured tax rolls of the County of Sonoma, or an assessment made by the State Board of Equalization. SECTION II. AUTHORITY. This ordinance is adopted pursuant to Article XIII A, section 4, Article XIII B, section 4 and Article XIII C, section 2 of the California Constitution, Article 3.7 (commencing with Section 53720) of Chapter 4 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the California Government Code, Section 13911 of the California Health and Safety Code, and Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Government Code. SECTION III. DETERMINATION OF NECESSITY. The amount of revenue available to the District from property taxes and the existing special tax is inadequate to meet the cost of providing services pursuant to Section 13862 of the California Health and Safety Code. Therefore, the District must establish a larger stable source of supplementary revenue to assist in meeting the costs of providing such services and exercising the other rights and powers of the District. SECTION IV. PURPOSE OF SPECIAL TAX. The purpose for which the additional special tax shall be imposed and levied is to raise revenue for the District to use in meeting the costs of (1) providing services pursuant to Section 13862 of the California Health and Safety Code, and (2) exercising other rights and powers granted to the District in Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 13860) of Part 2.7 of Division 12 of the California Health and Safety Code. SECTION V. SPECIAL TAX AUTHORIZATION AND LIMIT. The Board of Directors is authorized to impose and levy the additional special tax each year for the next eight (8) years on each parcel of real property within the District, except parcels of real property owned by a federal, state, or local agency, based on the use or right of use of the parcel and for the purpose stated in Section IV of this ordinance. The additional special tax may be levied at a rate not to exceed $60.00 per assessor's parcel number. The Board of Directors shall set the rate of the additional special tax each year as provided in Section VI of this ordinance, provided that in no year shall the rate exceed the maximum specified in this section. SECTION VI. REPORT AND HEARING ON SPECIAL TAX. Each year prior to the imposition of the additional special tax, the Board of Directors shall cause a report to be prepared showing each parcel of real property subject to the additional special tax, the owner(s) thereof, the land use classification or classifications applied thereto, and the proposed levy thereon. Upon receipt of the report, the Board of Directors shall set a date for a public hearing thereon and shall cause notice of the hearing to be given pursuant to Section VIII of this ordinance. At the public hearing, the Board of Directors shall set the rate and make such corrections to the taxes proposed to be levied as may be required. SECTION VII. ANNUAL REPORT ON SPECIAL TAX REVENUES. Each year the District shall cause a report to be prepared and filed with the Board of Directors containing information regarding the amount of additional special tax revenues collected and expended as well as the status of projects funded with proceeds of the additional special tax. SECTION VIII. NOTICE OF HEARING. In the absence of state law specifying the procedure for giving notice, notice of any public hearing held pursuant to this ordinance shall be given by posting in at least three (3) public places within the District at least fifteen (15) days prior to the hearing and publishing twice pursuant to Section 6066 of the California Government Code in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation within the District. The notice shall include the date, time, and place of the public hearing, a general explanation of the matter to be considered, and a statement of where additional information may be obtained. SECTION IX. COLLECTION. The additional special tax shall be collected in the same manner and subject to the same penalty as other charges and taxes collected by or on behalf of the District by the County of Sonoma. The Sonoma County Tax Collector may deduct reasonable administrative costs incurred in collecting the additional special tax and deposit the amounts deducted in the Sonoma County General Fund. In accordance with Article 1 (commencing with section 29300) of Chapter 2 of Division 3 of Title 3 of the California Government Code, there shall be added to the amount of the special tax an amount for the reasonable administrative costs incurred in collecting the additional special tax. SECTION X. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional and invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this ordinance. The people of the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District hereby declare that they would have passed this ordinance and every section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared unconstitutional or invalid. SECTION XI. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance shall take effect the day following its approval by two-thirds of the District's qualified voters voting on its approval at the special election on November 6, 2012. APPROVED, by a two-thirds vote of the voters of the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District at the special election held on November 6, 2012, and SO ORDERED. s/ Brian Proteau President, Board of Directors Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District ATTEST: s/ Jennifer Ober Clerk of the Board of Directors