Willow Oak Fire Protection District

The Willow Oak 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 Willow Oak Fire Protection District

Willow Oak Fire was originally formed in 1919 and provides fire protection, fire prevention and emergency response services to the communities of Willow Oak, Monument Hills and Wild Wings, as well as other portions of unincorporated Yolo County. Willow Oak Fire covers approximately 33.5 square miles and serves a population 4,500.

Willow Oak Fire responds to over 600 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, Willow Oak Fire provides fire prevention, community education, emergency preparedness and other services relating to the protection of lives and property. Willow Oak Fire is governed by a five-member Board of Fire Commissioners that are appointed by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

Fire Protection and Emergency Response Services Measure Will

·  Improve rapid emergency response times and consistent fire station staffing, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

·  Replace outdated firefighting equipment, funds would be used to assist with replacement of old and outdated fire apparatus and equipment that is not up to current standards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

Why Is A Funding Measure Needed?

Willow Oak Fire is funded through a small portion of local property taxes, miscellaneous fees, direct and indirect funds from Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, and a static special assessment that has remained unchanged since 1997. This existing assessment does not include a cost-of-living index adjustment mechanism. 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.

Willow Oak Fire is primarily staffed with full-time career firefighters supplemented with reserve and volunteer firefighters. Currently the Fire District is only partially staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unfortunately 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 typical work hours.

Yolo County’s Commitment To Fire District Funding

Although the Willow Oak 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 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 $178,933 in matching funds annually to Willow Oak 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 Willow Oak Fire Protection District Station No. 7, 18111 County Road 94B, Woodland CA 95695 and on the District’s website (http://www.willowoakfire.com/).

What Would This Measure Provide?

Ensure Rapid Response Times To 9-1-1 Emergencies

Funding from this measure would help Willow Oak 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

With additional funding the Fire District would hire an additional three 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.

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.

Will This Assessment Increase in the Future?

In future years after 2023-24, 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. The actual assessment rate will not be raised automatically. The annual adjustment, engineers’ report, and budget will be reviewed and approved annually by the District Board at a public meeting. The annual inflation adjustment will help keep the assessment revenues in line with the cost of providing fire protection and emergency response services.

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 for fiscal year 2023-24 is printed on the Official Ballot included with the notice and information item. For single-family homes, the typical base annual assessment is proposed to be $169.02. 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 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. Agricultural property would be assessed at $4.29 per acre.  The proposed assessment would raise approximately $367,311 for fiscal year 2023-24.

Public Hearing

A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at 6:00 pm at the the Willow Oak Park Hall located at, 17535 County Rd 97, Woodland, CA, 95695. 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.