Rancho Adobe Fire District looks for voter support on Measure W

With significant deficits looming, the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District is turning to voters in a moment of fiscal desperation this November, campaigning for a parcel tax increase that would provide a reliable source of revenue for its cash-strapped stations.

If approved by two-thirds of the area’s voters, which includes Penngrove, Cotati and unincorporated Petaluma, Measure W would repeal the current parcel tax of $40 per household and increase it to $300 a year, with a 3 percent annual adjustment for inflation.

The additional $2.1 million would allow the district to keep all three stations open, upgrade its roster of mostly part-time firefighters to full-time, and institute a 24-hour ambulance service to help curb response times, fire officials said.

“It’s a challenge for us, pinching pennies,” said Chief Leonard Thompson, who also serves as Petaluma’s fire chief. He works part-time for both agencies.

The RAFPD has been forced to navigate challenging financial straits for much of its history despite a 250-percent increase in calls for service since the district was formed in 1993. According to a five-year projection, deficits could reach as high as $1.5 million by the fiscal year 2021-22.

The current parcel tax was set when Rancho Adobe was founded 25 years ago, but has never been adjusted. Other area districts pay up to $500 per household, fire officials said.

Last year its firefighters responded to more than 2,500 calls compared to about 1,000 annually when Cotati and Penngrove combined their departments to create the joint district, which serves approximately 28,000 people spread across 86 square miles. Only those who live or own property in the district would be affected by the tax.

Rancho Adobe was critical in keeping last October’s wildfire out of Petaluma. Firefighters worked 24 hours straight to hold the fire line.

The RAFPD employees 42 people, with nearly two-thirds of its 27 firefighters working part-time with no benefits for $15 per hour, said board director Greg Karraker.

Over a five-year period, the turnover rate for part-time firefighters was almost 100 percent. Karraker said new recruits often satisfy hourly training requirements with Rancho Adobe before moving on to neighboring agencies where they receive an average salary increase of 22 percent.

Since the district is forced to constantly rehire and retrain its staff, resources get depleted even further.

“We train people to work at Rancho Adobe and they turn around looking for better income, better benefits,” Thompson said. “If they leave, that money is down the drain. It’s a high turnover rate because of that.”

From 2012-14, the district was forced to shut down stations at various times due to budget shortfalls, causing lengthier response times and a degradation of service.

Once Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park opened, Rancho Adobe negotiated a $300,000 slice of the $2 million given to Sonoma County to account for the increased demands on public safety departments. Thanks to the additional revenue, the district has kept all three stations open ever since.

However, there’s no guarantee the county’s five-year agreement with the casino will be renewed. If it is, Karraker warned other agencies might lobby for a greater share of the funds.

Rancho Adobe is also hindered by an untapped revenue stream from Sonoma State University, which accounts for 10 percent of the district’s calls for service but has provided $0 since 1962.

Since the Constitution of California prohibits taxation between public entities, the university has denied compensation requests from RAFPD fire officials for years, Karraker said. The district is currently leaning on elected officials and exploring a possible amendment to the state constitution to compel SSU to pay.

“It’s morally reprehensible,” Karraker said.

Measure W has been endorsed by the Sonoma County Taxpayers Association, which also supported the district’s narrowly defeated parcel tax increase in 2012.

Executive Director Dan Drummond said it was the district’s decision not to authorize enhanced pension benefits more than a decade ago like other government agencies and municipalities that’s led to the rare endorsement from the anti-tax group.

“The fact that Rancho Adobe was prudent enough not to do that, we thought spoke to their fiscal management,” Drummond said. “Because of that, we stand behind them when they need to turn to voters for additional funds for some of their resources.”

(Contact News Editor Yousef Baig at yousef.baig@arguscourier.com or 776-8461, and on Twitter @YousefBaig.)