In the present day we advocate a Sure vote on Measure P on this November’s poll. Measure P supplies a novel alternative to take a number of the warmth off of our (principally volunteer) native hearth departments with out elevating complete present taxes. It will do that by redirecting ¼ cent from an expiring portion of county gross sales tax to help hearth prevention and safety.
Preserving our communities secure is tough, harmful and more and more costly work, and our firefighters desperately want further help. They can not operate with out applicable, well-maintained gear, and people prices are regularly rising. Every firefighter wants specialised gear and private protecting gear, and it wants to suit effectively and be in good working order to make sure their security. Many different provides and objects used on hearth or medical calls are usually not reusable, and have to be always re-stocked and prepared for the subsequent emergency.
Different bills, akin to staff’ compensation insurance coverage charges, have additionally been skyrocketing, and hearth departments are required to pay them. And since most of their volunteers produce other jobs and may’t at all times be accessible when wanted, some departments are discovering they want paid workers to make sure that somebody is at all times accessible to answer emergency calls.
As these and different prices rise, we’re additionally demanding ever extra of those volunteers. Countywide hearth calls have gone up yearly—a 52 % improve simply within the final 5 years. Measure P will enable them to buy the gear required to answer that want, and maintain each firefighters and the general public secure. You will discover extra details about the challenges they’re dealing with, and causes to help Measure P, at www.yesonpmendo.com.
Measure P is a basic tax. Which means the funds it raises will change into a part of the County’s basic fund. To make sure that these funds are used as supposed, the County Board of Supervisors and Fireplace Chiefs Affiliation have taken pains to doc precisely how the funds are supposed to be spent. The Supervisors unanimously handed Decision 22-159, stating partially that “The Board intends that the 90 % used for direct help to businesses offering direct hearth safety companies be allotted in the identical method because the Board has allotted Proposition 172 funds.” County hearth chiefs have agreed on the precise share of the funds that every division would get. Decision 22-159 additionally directs that allocation of the funds will probably be publicly reported yearly, as a way of assuring that the funds are used as supposed.
The remaining 10 % is to fund countywide wildfire security by supporting applications akin to these operated by the nonprofit Mendocino County Fireplace Secure Council, permitting our communities to plan, put together and proactively get forward of wildfire dangers effectively earlier than they’re upon us.
Lastly, Measure P has a built-in 10-year sundown, in case we’re not glad with this strategy at the moment.
With these a number of layers of assurance, we consider that voters can belief the funds for use as supposed to successfully help larger security for our communities. If we would like emergency companies to be there once we want them, we should always take this opportunity to help the applications, volunteers and hearth departments that maintain us secure.
Measure P won’t meet all the funding wants of our hearth departments, however it would get us a lot nearer to that objective with out elevating any taxes.
Vote Sure on Measure P.
