The Albion Little River Fire Protection District is in full support of the previously agreed upon "Proposition 172 Funding Formula for Local Agencies". Our Board of Directors held a Special Meeting to draft/sign a letter of support for this item. I have included the entirety of it and am planning to present the signed letter at the meeting on 4/8/25. Thank you for your continued support of our Fire Agencies.

Honorable Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,

In May 2016, the Board of Supervisors unanimously and formally endorsed the concept that “fire agencies perform essential public safety functions and are eligible for funding through the Proposition 172 sales tax”, a 1993 statewide Public Safety Sales Tax.

In December 2017, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a funding formula to determine the amount of Prop 172 allocated to Fire Agencies thereafter. As the Mendocino County Fire Chief’s Association (MCFCA) and Mendocino County Districts Association (MCAFD) joint letter (3/27/25) stated, the formula of 5.46% of Proposition 172 funds + $87,521 was to be utilized each fiscal year. A funding gap has been identified for every year (FY 18/19 - FY 23-24) totaling more than $1 million that has not been distributed to the Fire Agencies. Although an effort has been made by the MCAFD and MCFCA to clarify the allocations made, County representatives have not confirmed the discrepancy nor advised on a commitment to future funding.

The Albion Little River Fire Protection Board of Directors is requesting that the Board of Supervisors re-confirm their intention and commit to allocating Proposition 172 funding using the agreed upon formula, and specifically to allocate Proposition 172 funds for FY 25-26 by using the formula (5.46% + $87,521).

We recognize that Measures D/E in 2020 and Measure P in 2022 generate annual funding supporting our District. However, these funds were designed to enhance our District’s emergency response funding without replacing existing funding.

This funding from these measures allocated by the Supervisors has consistently allocated resources according to established formulas. The Albion Little River Fire Protection District Board requests that Proposition 172 also adheres to the approved allocation formula.

In our District, we have seen an increase in: call volume, personnel training and safety equipment requirements as well as other health and safety regulations all which require more funding. For the past 20 years, we have been trying to fund a new fire station. Currently, our District’s Special Fire tax measure provides 38% of our revenue. To meet the needs of our Department, we asked our constituents to support a 250% increase in the Special tax. Unfortunately, we received 56% yes votes and we needed 66%. We continue to seek sufficient funding to support our emergency response capabilities. We depend on Prop 172 funding for 3% of our budget and cannot afford to lose this income.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

ALBION LITTLE RIVER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This letter was approved at a Special Meeting of our Board on April 3, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
Wendy Meyer-President, Pam Linstedt-Vice President, Steve Acker-Secretary, Lee Welty-Treasurer, Chuck Greenberg