Madison Fire Protection District

The Madison Fire Protection District is proposing a new measure to ensure continued and improved fire protection and emergency response services. Property owners within the Fire District will receive a ballot by mail that will allow them to decide whether continued and improved fire protection, fire suppression, and emergency response services should be provided.

About Madison Fire Protection District

Madison Fire was originally formed in 1927 and provides fire protection, fire prevention and emergency response services to the community of Madison and the surrounding areas. Madison Fire covers approximately 65 square miles and serves a population of 1,390. Madison Fire responds to over 290 service calls per year, including structure fires, brush fires, vegetation fires, vehicle fires, traffic collisions, search and rescues, hazardous materials incidents and emergency medical calls. In addition, Madison FPD provides fire prevention, community education, emergency preparedness and other services relating to the protection of lives and property.

The Fire Protection and Emergency Response Services Measure funds would be used to:

• Ensure rapid response times to 9-1-1- emergencies
• Hire an additional full-time firefighter
• Maintain fire station staffing 24/7, 365 days a year
• Replace unsafe fire apparatus and equipment
• Provide LOCAL funding to improve our LOCAL fire and emergency services

Why Is A Funding Measure Needed?

Madison Fire is funded through a small portion of local property taxes, miscellaneous fees, and a static $35 dollar per residences special assessment that has remained unchanged since 1997. Due to the lack of a cost-of-living adjustment on the existing assessment and rising expenses, the Fire District’s current revenue is not adequate to continue providing services at what is considered a safe level for the community. Madison Fire is primarily staffed with a combination of volunteer and career firefighters.

Currently the Fire Station is only partially staffed 24 hours a day, 3-4 days a week. The proposed assessment would provide additional funding that would allow the Fire District to hire an additional full time firefighter to help respond to all emergencies. The District would maintain a 2 person engine, 24/7, 365 days a year responding to emergencies at time of dispatch.

Yolo County’s Commitment To Fire District Funding

Although the Madison Fire District is an independent Special District and the County of Yolo is not obligated to provide it with any funding, on April 18, 2023 the Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a Fire Sustainability Funding Proposal to provide matching funds to local Fire Districts that need more revenue, if they pass a new benefit assessment. If this ballot measure passes, Yolo County will provide $128,204 in matching funds annually to Madison Fire on an ongoing basis. The proposed rate shown on your ballot reflects a lower rate to provide these services and improvements than would be required if the County had not made this generous offer.

How Was The Assessment Determined?

The method of benefit allocation is based on the relative special benefit to a property in relation to a single-family home, the type of property, and its size. The total proposed assessment amount for your property is shown on the enclosed ballot. If you own multiple properties, your ballot will show the total proposed assessment amount for each one. The types of special benefits would primarily include increased safety and protection of real properties. An Engineer’s Report describing the proposed improvements, method and basis upon which the amount of the proposed assessment was calculated, special benefits, budget, and the proposed assessment for each parcel is available for review at the Madison Fire Protection District at 17880 Stephens Street, Madison, CA 95653 and on the District’s website (https://www.madison-fire.com/).

What Would This Measure Provide?

Funding from this measure would help Madison Fire maintain and improve rapid response times. Specifically, State safety standards require that when firefighters use self-contained breathing apparatus, a minimum of 2 firefighters work as a team inside the impacted structure. A minimum of 2 firefighters must be on standby as support outside the structure to provide aid or perform a rescue. Essentially, the “2 in, 2 out rule” protects our firefighters but requires sufficient staffing levels. Funding from this measure would increase staffing within the Fire District, allowing firefighters to arrive and assemble on scene faster, effectively reducing the impact of the emergency.

Hire Full Time Firefighters & Volunteer Recruitment

With additional funding the Fire District would hire an additional full time firefighter to respond to all emergencies. The Fire District would maintain a 2 person engine, 24/7, 365 days a year. The station would be staffed with 1 full time firefighter and 1 to 2 volunteer firefighters, 24/7, 365 days a year responding to emergencies at time of dispatch. Furthermore, funds would also be allocated to support volunteer recruitment and training.

Provide Updated Firefighting Equipment For Our Community

This measure would support improved maintenance, repair, upgrade, and/or replacement of outdated fire apparatus and equipment that are not up to current safety standards.

Protect Your Property From The Increasing Threat Of Wildfires

Part of our community’s greatest threat is wildfires. The Fire District needs to increase it preparedness to protect properties in the wildland urban interface.

What If This Measure Fails?

Failure of this measure is likely to result in consolidation of this Fire District with another in the next 3-5 years, reducing response times to your emergencies.

Will This Assessment Increase in the Future?

The assessment will be continued in future years as long as the District Board of Directors approves an annual resolution to continue this assessment. In future years after 2024-25, the maximum allowed assessment rate will only be adjusted for inflation by an amount equal to the change in the Northern California (San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward) Consumer Price Index, but not to exceed 5% per year.

Funds cannot be taken from the County or State for other uses

If this Measure is approved, all funds raised will stay local and will be used in the Fire District’s service area to improve and maintain fire protection and emergency response services. By law, the County, State, or any other agency cannot take these funds. 

How much is the proposed assessment?

The proposed assessment for your property or properties for 2024-25 is printed on the Official Ballot. The typical base annual assessment for single-family homes is proposed to be $131.89. (The annual assessment amount a property is proposed to pay would be that property’s base rate adjusted by factors like relative fire risk and travel time.) The proposed base assessment for other residential property types is calculated based on these factors and the number of dwelling units and parcel size. Multi-family dwellings have a proposed base assessment of $54.72 per unit. Agricultural, commercial, industrial, and other properties are assessed according to their parcel size and type. For example, agricultural property would be assessed at $3.35 per acre of property size. The total estimated amount assessed to the entire area subject to this assessment would be approximately $200,000 for 2024-25.

Public Hearing

A public hearing will be held on Monday, July 8, 2024, at 1:00 pm at the Madison Fire Protection District, 17880 Stephens Street, Madison CA 95653. The public is encouraged to attend. Tabulation of the returned ballots will commence after the close of the public input portion of the public hearing. The results of the tabulation are expected to be announced at the Board meeting that day.