Frequently Asked Questions
You can browse the topics below for common questions about Measure F!
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What is the Arcata Fire District and how are services it provides funded?
Arcata Fire District (AFD) was formed on June 1, 1944; the AFD is a single-purpose special district, independent from the County of Humboldt and the City of Arcata; governed by a board of directors who are elected directly by the voters.
The Fire District provides critical, emergency life-saving and fire protection services to the communities of McKinleyville, Manila, Bayside, Jacoby Creek and the City of Arcata.
Presently, the District is funded from four primary sources:
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50% from property taxes (ad valorem) -
40% from the District's voter-approved initiatives -
1997 special tax -
2006 benefit assessment
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8% from other government funds -
2% from charges for services
Why does the District need more funding?
What has the District done to reduce costs/expenses?
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Staffing has been reduced through attrition. Due to a lack of security with the District’s inadequate funding career firefighters have been leaving the District at a rapid pace, during the last 6 months, two firefighters and a Senior Fire Captain left for jobs with other agencies out of the area
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Two Battalion Chiefs retired unexpectedly which resulted in frozen positions and a burden on the rest of the employees covering those duties
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Previously, the District operated with 21 line staff covering the fire engines and four chief officers in the administration. Now the District operates with 15 firefighters and 2 chief officers. This is why there are not enough firefighters to staff the third fire station
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The District is struggling to keep fire engines and trucks in service due to the deferred maintenance and repairs of the fleet
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For the past three years, the District has operated in deficit and can no longer operate under this plan. All possible cuts have been made to the budget. Any further cuts will result in reduced services and delayed responses to emergencies
Why can’t the Fire District pay its bills from sales taxes?
The laws of California do not allow “special districts” like AFD to collect sales taxes.
What will the new tax cost me in addition to what I already pay?
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Vacant/Unimproved = $25 per year -
Mobile Home in a Park = $75 per year -
Single Family Residence = $98 per year -
Rural Residence = $162 per year -
Multi-Family Residential (2-4 units) = $269 per year -
Multi-Family Residential (5-9 units) = $338 per year -
Multi-Family Residential (10+ units) = $405 per year -
Commercial = $486 per year -
Industrial = $810 per year -
Retail over 10,000 sq feet = $850 per year
Why did the Fire District wait so long to ask for more money?
Does the Fire District receive any funds from the County's Measure Z tax?
Funding from Measure Z does not pay for personnel. The District is very thankful that Measure Z has provided approximately $65,000 annually for the last three years to pay for contract dispatch services. Measure Z has also provided one-time funding for select pieces of equipment.
How many firefighters are currently on-duty each day?
Currently, there is a minimum of four firefighters that staff two fire stations on 48-hour shifts. Two chief officers work day shifts, with one being on-call at night and weekends. The District also relies on other fire agencies; Blue Lake Volunteer Fire Department, CALFIRE, Fieldbrook Volunteer Fire Department, Humboldt Bay Fire Authority, and Samoa-Peninsula Fire District. These agencies help assist with staffing when Arcata Fire District has fires in the District. Naturally, AFD must respond to their calls for assistance as well.
Didn’t AFD just spend money to remodel the fire stations?
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$1,272,398 from the Orvamae Emmerson Endowment -
$291,663 from the Arcata Sunrise Rotary Community Foundation -
$250,000 from a donation in memory of Lily Lucchesi -
$815,759 from other funds raised by AVFA
In addition to the grants and donations, the AVFA took on a bank loan of $1,890,063 for the capital construction costs to complete the McKinleyville station remodel.
The Fire District rents the Arcata Station from AVFA. The AVFA uses the rent proceeds it collects for the Arcata station it owns, to pay the loan payments for the District-owned McKinleyville station. This incredible partnership between the Fire District and the AVFA has created huge savings for the taxpayers of the Arcata Fire District!
Will there be fiscal accountability for Measure F funding?
A Citizen’s Oversight Committee will be appointed to ensure the funds are spent as promised through the language of the tax measure. This will be in addition to the District’s legal responsibility to allow an independent auditor to review its funds annually.
What happens if the District does not pass Measure F?
Have more questions?
The benefits of the passing of Measure F goes beyond our years. We are seeing fire behavior throughout California that has never been witnessed before - even Redwood Forests are burning at an alarming rate; ie: the CZU Complex Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains!
We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions you might have!