Sutter County, CA
Home MenuBoard of Supervisors' Commitment to Rural Fire Service has exceeded $3.5 million over the past three years
This amount is beyond what the special fire district CSA-F generates in taxes from the people who receive the services
Sutter County Service Area F is made up of the majority of the unincorporated area in the Yuba City basin on the east side of Sutter County. This special district was formed in 1996 by consolidating two previous special districts.
CSAs allow local residents to finance and provide specific services, including fire suppression and medical response, in a rural area.
When CSA-F was formed, a special benefit assessment and dedicated property taxes funded full time professional firefighting services. CSA-F was expected to be self-sustaining. That means there was no intention of it receiving assistance from the County General Fund.
The special parcel tax, passed by CSA-F voters in 1997, replaced the benefit assessment and sufficiently funded the CSA for more than 20 years without General Fund support.
Because of increasing costs, including firefighter salaries and benefits, and the lack of growth in the unincorporated areas due to flood plain limitations, the costs now exceed the revenue generated within the district.
Even though the County General Fund has no financial obligation to CSA-F, the Board of Supervisors has allocated more than $3.5 million to CSA-F over the past three years. Here is a list of those allocations:
May 2020 $79,816 for Fire Engine Purchase
Nov 2020 $22,683 in CARES Act funding for the purchase of 3 extractor washing machines
June 2021 $341,449 in CARES Act funding to offset Salary & Benefit cost & buy personal protective equipment
Dec 2021 $368,426 in loan forgiveness for the construction of the Sutter Fire Station
Jan 2022 $630,000 General Fund purchase of a new Type 1 Fire Engine
FY 2022-23 $136,289 ARPA funds for Fire Personnel “Essential Worker” Pay
FY 2022-23 $605,030 ARPA Backfill for CSAF Revenue Shortfall
FY 2023-24 $1,325,000 ARPA Backfill for CSAF Revenue Shortfall
TOTAL = $3,508,693
The County General Fund is not growing fast enough to sustain the level of services provided to all County residents, including crucial public safety services, so continued funding for a CSA that is supposed to be self-sustaining is not feasible.