With 8,076 ballots counted for the Valley Regional Fire Authority’s Proposition No. 1 Special Purpose District levy, the first tallies showed the yes votes at 5,961 (72% of the total votes available) to the no votes at 1,809 votes (or 23.28%).
The measure asks voters within the VRFA’s service area to consider continuing the use of a voter-approved fire benefit charge (FBC) each year for the next 10 years. The FBC is a fee reflecting a direct and proportional assessment of the cost of providing appropriate fire protection services to a particular building. The FBC is calculated based on occupancy type and square footage of structures.
Revenue derived from the FBC is restricted by state law not to exceed 60 percent of the VRFA’s operating budget. By approving the FBC, state law prohibits imposing an additional property tax of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for fire protection services otherwise allowed by law. Since 2008, the FBC has supported between 37-48 percent of the VRFA operating budget.
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