West Plainfield Fire Protection District

You are a property owner served by the West Plainfield Fire Protection District (“West Plainfield Fire” or the “Fire District”). You are being asked to vote on a proposed funding measure to ensure continued and improved fire protection and emergency response services in your area. Your ballot is your opportunity to participate in deciding whether local funding should be approved for continued and improved fire protection, fire suppression, and emergency response services.

Your vote on this matter is crucial because only returned ballots will be counted.

West Plainfield Fire was originally formed in 1928 and provides fire protection, fire prevention and emergency response services to the south/central area of unincorporated Yolo County between Davis and Winters. West Plainfield Fire covers approximately 33 square miles and serves a population of 900.

West Plainfield Fire responds to almost 300 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, West Plainfield Fire provides fire prevention, community education, emergency preparedness and other services relating to the protection of lives and property. West Plainfield Fire is governed by a five-member Board of Fire Commissioners that are appointed by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

The Fire Protection and Emergency Response Services Measure Will

·  Improve emergency response times and provide consistent fire station staffing, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by hiring additional firefighters

·  Replace outdated firefighting equipment, funds would be used to assist with replacement of old and outdated fire apparatus and equipment that is not up to current standards

·  Retain our local firefighters, so we are always ready to rapidly respond to emergencies

·  This funding stays LOCAL and cannot be taken away by the County or State

West Plainfield Fire is funded through a small portion of local property taxes, based on property values, and miscellaneous fees. The costs of providing services continue to rise each year due to more emergency calls, increased firefighter training requirements, and the increasing costs of mandatory and industry-recommended equipment replacement. The Fire District has reduced costs to stay within budget by reducing administrative costs and continuing to use equipment past the industry-recommended replacement dates. The Fire District cannot continue to provide the same level of fire protection service without additional funding.

West Plainfield Fire is primarily staffed with one career firefighter 24/7, supported by a decreasing number of volunteer firefighters. The number of volunteers available to respond to calls has decreased in recent years due to increased training demands, while call volumes have increased. In addition, social and economic changes in recent years have resulted in more people commuting to work outside the Fire District area, making it harder for volunteers to be available to respond to emergencies in the Fire District during work hours.

The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) recommendation is four personnel per apparatus (“2 in, 2 out”) in a community of this size and risk. The Fire District cannot meet the NFPA recommendation due to budget constraints. The next best option to align with industry standards and respond adequately to calls is to staff all apparatus with three personnel. The costs for the proposed staffing increases would support the implementation of “3" on an initial response (the 3rd member would be either a volunteer or reserve firefighter).

The proposed assessment would provide additional funding that would allow the Fire District to hire an additional 3 full time firefighters 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.

Funding from this measure would help West Plainfield Fire maintain and improve rapid response times. 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.

With additional funding the Fire District would hire 3 additional full time firefighters to respond to all emergencies. The Fire District would maintain a 2 person engine, 24/7, 365 days a year responding to emergencies at time of dispatch.

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

Failure of this measure is likely to result in consolidation of this Fire District with another (and assumption of their assessment) in the next 3-5 years, reducing response times to your emergencies, resulting in more loss of life and property, and increasing your insurance costs. Your current Insurance Services Office (IS0) rating is 03/3Y - the best it can be for a rural fire department such as yours. While insurance is available through the State, it is very expensive.

Although the West Plainfield Fire District is a dependent 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 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 $127,810 in funding annually to West Plainfield Fire on an ongoing basis. The proposed rate shown on your ballot reflects an approximately 33% lower rate to provide these services and improvements than would be required if the County had not made this generous offer.

The total annual costs of the proposed additional firefighter staffing, apparatus and equipment replacements as needed, and other services to be funded by the assessment would be allocated to each property based on the estimated special benefit received. 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 your Official 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 continued service, 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 West Plainfield Fire Protection District, 24901 County Road 95, Davis, CA 95616 and on the District’s website (https://www.wpfd.net/).

The proposed assessment for your property for fiscal year 2023-24 is printed on the Official Ballot included with the notice and information item that accompanied the Ballot. For single-family homes, the typical base annual assessment is proposed to be $219.66. The annual assessment amount a property is proposed to pay would be that property’s base rate adjusted by factors such as parcel size, relative fire risk, and travel time. The proposed base assessment for other residential property types is calculated based on these factors as well as the number of dwelling units and parcel size. Commercial, industrial and agricultural properties would be assessed according to their parcel size and property type. The proposed assessment would raise approximately $232,949 for fiscal year 2023-24.

In years after 2023-24, the maximum allowed assessment rate may 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. The actual assessment rate will not be raised automatically. Any proposed annual adjustment, along with the engineer's report and the proposed budget, will be reviewed and approved annually by the District Board at a public meeting. Any annual inflation adjustment, if approved, will help keep the assessment revenues in line with the cost of providing fire protection and emergency response services.

To complete the official ballot, mark the oval next to either Yes or No, sign the ballot, fold it in half and place it in the provided postage-paid return envelope, and mail it to West Plainfield Fire Protection District, 24901 County Road 95, Davis, CA 95616. You may also hand deliver it at the public hearing or drop it in the ballot box at the Fire Station (24901 CR 95) during normal business hours. Only official ballots which are signed and marked with the property owner’s support or opposition will be counted. Ballots must be received prior to the end of the public input portion of the Public Hearing scheduled on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm. If you lose your ballot, require a replacement ballot, or want to change your vote before the close of the public hearing, call West Plainfield Fire at (530) 756-0212 for another ballot.

A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at 7:00 pm at the West Plainfield Fire Protection District, 24901 County Road 95, Davis, CA 95616. You are invited to attend the public hearing. 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 night.

The assessment can be continued in future years as long as the District Board approves an annual resolution to continue this assessment. The Board also has the authority to end the assessment in the future, not levy the assessment or levy a lower assessment rate as needed.