SUPPORT OUR FIRE & PARAMEDIC SERVICES
Fire and paramedic protection in Palos Verdes Estates needs your “YES” vote at the March 7 election.
Fire and paramedic services both are now paid for with a Parcel Tax that was approvedby 87% of the City’s voters in 2001 ard 2007. Authorization for this tax expires on June 30,2017. The PVE City Council appointed a Fire and Paramedic Funding Citizens Committee to explore financing options. After critically considering numerous options, the Committee unanimously recommended continuation of the special tax and the City Council approved it unanimously. It now needs your approval.
This is a continuation of the same method of funding fire and pararnedic services that has been in place since 1991. Voting “YES” raises only the amount of money needed to cover the cost of our fire and paramedic services. Not voting on this measure, if you cast a ballot, is the same as a “no” vote and will threaten these essential services in PVE. Continuation of this Special Tax:
- Can only be used for fire and paramedic services.
- Will appear on your property tax bill and is typically tax deductible.
- Includes a basic charge lbr all parcels, including vacant lots, plus a charge for each square foot ofliving area.
- Costs $788.64 for a median size home of 2,450 square feet in 2016-17.
- The average annual increase in the Parcel Tax for the past 15 years has been $21 yearly 12450 sq. ft.1 to $39 yearly [6000 sq. ft.].
- Palos Verdes Estates has the lowest cost for its l5-person station of any of the South Bay communities. To see detailed comparison data, please click here.
- There is no supplemental charge for helicopter coverage and recovery, nor brush fire equipment if needed.
- Fire and paramedics made 990 response calls during calendar year 2015.
- Three other funding options were explored by the Committee; the Parcel Tax was clearly the most effective and equitable.
- Has a l2-year sunset clause and expires rn 2029.It can be revised or terminated at any time.
- If Measure D does not pass, the City will have to spend $2.S+ million of $9.4 million reserves which required 20 years to assemble
Please join us in voting “YES” to continue these essential services: Your endorsement on the attached sheet is encouraged.
| Ronald L. Buss. Chair Virginia Butler Tom Connaghan Kristin Curren Robin DeBraal Amy Friednian Valerie Gorsuch |
Helaine Lopes Clark Margolf Ellen Perkins Lynn Solomita William Um David Wagman |
3 comments:
While I appreciate that the Citizens Committee looked at various funding options in making their recommendation to continue the parcel tax, I question whether there has been sufficient review of how the city controls its expenses and thus whether there might be a way to fund a larger portion of the cost of fire/paramedic services from the city budget rather then through this tax. If the parcel tax were to be raised the full 6.3% allowed under Measure D, our parcel tax bill would double in the 12 year period that it would be in place.
The LBHOA posting is factually incorrect. It neglects to state that NO OTHER CITY IN PV or in California pays this tax. Every other city in PV gets fire services as a part of their regular property tax! THEY DO NOT PAY EXTRA! They pay nothing extra – nada. Only in PVE do we pay our property tax then pay again! Further all the other cities in PV get about twice as much of each property tax dollar than PVE – If we just got the same as they do then we could pay for the fire contract and have money to spare – with a modicum of decent management!
Measure D not passing was a Godsend to PVE resident taxpayers. The City’s police department has been taking astounding $ amounts out of the taxpayers’ pockets, with next year’s cost of $7.3 million equating to around 60% of the total budget and ALL of the City’s property taxes. For these absurdly enormous costs, all PVE gets in terms of patrol is just TWO 24/7 squad cars at an all-in cost of $3.65 million/car/year. Next door in RPV, where the far more experienced and battle tested Sheriff operates law enforcement, that city’s residents have access to TEN 24/7 squad cars at an all-in cost of $550,000/car/year! PVE’s pays around FOUR TIMES the $/resident for its PVEPD than RPV pays per resident for the Sheriff. So, in the end, PVE pays around 50% more for its police department with acesss to 1/5th the number of patrolling squad cars. Moving the the LASD is a no brainer now with the budget problem, and was the right thing to do a long time ago before Measure D failed.