Parcel owners approve special assessments for Woodland Avenue Fire Protection District

A special assessment for the Woodland Avenue Fire Protection District was overwhelmingly approved in a property owners vote.

More than 70 percent of the weighted ballots were in favor of assessments for the rural, volunteer fire department. About 600 of the 1,900 ballots mailed to potential voters in late May were marked and returned by Thursday’s deadline, Chief Mike Passalaqua said.

The ballots were counted following a public hearing Thursday at the Woodland Avenue station just west of Modesto.

Fire district board of directors President Doug Flora said he believes the vote shows the community appreciates the dedication of the volunteer firefighters.

“We have always had great support from the community,” he said.

Homeowners will pay an additional $82 a year on their annual property tax bills. The charges include $102 for homes larger than 3,000 square feet; 4 cents per square foot for commercial parcels; $1.07 an acre for farmland; 78 cents an acre for vacant land; and $150 for schools and churches.

The special district provides emergency services to an area on both sides of Highway 132 from Modesto’s western border to the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers, with Shoemake Avenue forming its northern boundary. It’s responsible for some unincorporated pockets in west Modesto.

The district expects to take in $200,000 from the special assessments, more than doubling its annual budget of $170,000.

Woodland Avenue officials said a top priority is replacing a water tender that’s more than 30 years old.

The budget in the engineer’s report for the Proposition 218 measure allocates $30,000 for firefighter training, $40,000 for personal protective equipment, $70,000 for equipment repairs and replacement, $35,000 for fire station maintenance and $25,000 for administrative support.

The rural district has two stations and 28 volunteer firefighters.

Last month, a proposed increase in special assessments for the Salida Fire Protection District failed to gain majority approval from property owners. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association formally opposed the Salida measure, saying it would require property owners to pay disproportionate charges for emergency services that benefit the general public.

The taxpayers association has suggested that special districts needing additional revenue ask voters to approve a fire service tax, which requires two-thirds approval.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Parcel owners approve special assessments for Woodland Avenue Fire Protection District."