Sutter County Supervisors will not fund their fire department. The unincorporated areas in Sutter County (County Service Area F) that are served by Oswald/Tudor, Sutter and Live Oak fire stations are in jeopardy of losing their fire protection and emergency services.
The 2019-2020 Sutter County Grand Jury reported that the “CSA F fire district is in dire straits and citizens of Sutter County need to be informed immediately. The CSA F is dangerously understaffed and alarmingly underfunded.” The Grand Jury recommended a Special Fire Tax to fund the fire department.
The 2020-2021 Grand Jury again conducted an extensive investigation into the CSA F fire district. They reported that “Sutter County continues to underfund its fire services. The underfunding potentially endangers the people of Sutter County and risks doubling or tripling of home and fire insurance.”
At the time of the report, 65% of the equipment in the fire district was outdated and needed replaced. Sutter County Fire Chief John Shalowitz stated in a January 2023 article that, “this is physically, operationally and financially insatiable”. The Grand Jury again recommended a Special Fire Tax.
Nearly five years later, Sutter County has done nothing to solve the crisis. It has ignored Grand Jury recommendations. Neither the Supervisors nor the Office of Emergency Services ever notified rural residents of the potential for no fire protection or emergency help.
Instead, Sutter County tried to pass a county-wide 1% sales tax increase in 2022. Supervisors promoted the tax with political signs showing patrol cars and fire trucks to scare voters. A General Sales Tax goes into the general fund and can be used for anything. Politicians are famous for using bait and switch tactics with tax revenues. They cannot be trusted.
There was no guarantee that one dime would be used for safety. The voters wisely rejected the Measure A tax hike. However, the voters’ wishes mean nothing to the Supervisors. The County recently hired the Lew Edwards Group (a sales tax propaganda firm) with tax dollars for another attempt at a sales tax increase.
Sutter County refuses to pay for fire services but continues to squander money. The purchase of the Kmart property ($8.24 million) is an example. At a budget hearing in April 2023, County Administrator (CAO) Steve Smith reported that the budget looked very bleak with a $3.2 million shortfall. Deep cuts were needed.
Miraculously eleven days later Smith declared the budget problem solved. The budget was balanced and he then requested $1.7 million in raises for some of the County’s highest paid employees. The Supervisors unanimously agreed.
Smith stated during an interview that “the primary function of the County is safety”. However, the county refuses to fund fire. Smith was quoted in an Appeal Democrat article saying, “the General Fund cannot bear the ongoing operating costs (Sutter Fire). Fire was never intended to be a General Fund obligation without impacting valuable services for the County.”
The community believes that fire / emergency response is the most valuable county service. Meanwhile, Supervisors want another General Sales Tax increase - another blank check for bigger government.
Sutter County Fire will run out of funds in June 2024. Losing fire protection and emergency services is not an option for residents. A group of citizens is determined to solve the crisis. They drafted the “Citizens’ Initiative to Save Sutter County Fire.”
This is not a new tax. It will instead repeal and replace the current fire parcel tax that was passed in 1997. That parcel tax had no inflators to keep-up with rising costs, and not every property owner was required to pay their share.
One hundred per cent of the monies from the “Citizens’ Initiative to Save Sutter County Fire” will pay for CSA F fire stations. This is exactly what the Grand Jury recommended.
A General Sales Tax increase is not the answer. There are no legal requirements to spend it on safety. The Citizens’ Initiative is a guarantee that Sutter County Fire will remain in service.
Follow “Save Sutter County Fire” on Facebook for updates.
(Lou Binninger can be heard on No Hostages Radio podcast, live on KMYC 1410AM 10-1 Saturdays, read at Live with Lou on Facebook and at Nohostagesradio.com)
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