Funding to Fight It John Bliss Valerie Flores 1 4745 Mangels - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

California Burning: Funding to Fight It John Bliss Valerie Flores 1 4745 Mangels Blvd, Fairfield, California 94534

Recent Wildland Fire History in California Acres Burned 9,000,000 8,000,000 7,000,000 6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 0 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s estimated Source: CalFire 2018 fire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season on record in CA, with 1.89 million acres burned 2019 expected burned acres are estimated 2

• Of the top 20 most destructive wildfires since 1923, 10 (50%) have occurred in just the last 4 years (2015-2018). Recent • Almost 2,400,000 acres burned, causing 144 deaths and the loss of over 33,000 structures. Wildland • The most recently devastating Camp Fire burned about 153,000 acres Fire History and almost 19,000 structures and caused the most deaths (85). The human and economic impacts have been staggering. • This is a radically different pattern from the prior 1923 to 2015 period.

Areas Burned in California (1980s to 2017) Source: CalFire 2018 fires are not included in this map 4 2018 fires burned over 1.89 million acres (almost 2% of the State)

Game Changer for Cities: 2017 Tubbs Fire 1. Jumped the Wildland Urban Interface 5

Pre 2017 Tubbs Fire: Normal

Post 2017 Tubbs Fire: New Normal

How Local Agencies Can Effectively Implement Changes? 1. Fire Suppression 2. Vegetation Management 3. Structure Resiliency (House Hardening) 4. Additional Funding 11

1. Fire Suppression 1. Better, Faster Equipment • Night-time aviation, drones, etc. 2. Better Evacuation Communications/Prep/Drills 3. Public Education • Defensible space and structure hardening informational inspections 12

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Emergency Evacuation Planning with Other First Responders • Planning • Coordination • Communications • Annual drills • Dedicated evacuation routes 17

2. Vegetation Management 1. Defensible Space 2. Fire break maintenance a. Shaded Fuel Breaks 3. Roadside clearances and other public area fuel reduction 4. Fuel chipping programs (FireSafe Council, community forums) 18

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3. Structure Resiliency (House Hardening) 1. State Building Standards 2. Local Building Standards 3. Retrofits 4. Inspections 23

3. Structure Resiliency (House Hardening) Cont. • Roof • Vents • Eaves and Soffits • Windows • Decks • Rain Gutters • Patio Cover • Chimney • Garage • Fences • Driveways and Access Roads 24

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4. Additional Funding to Fight It 30

The “Five - Legged Stool” Approach • Impact Fees • CFDs • Fees • Grants • Special Taxes and/or Benefit Assessments • You already collect Ad Valorem property taxes 31

Special Taxes or Benefit Assessments • Require balloting • Long term, reliable funding sources 32

Benefit Assessments – Prop 218 1. Improvement plan 2. Engineer’s Report 3. Board review & resolutions 4. Mail notice and ballots 5. Public hearing 6. Tabulate ballots 33

Benefit Assessment Issues • General vs special benefit • Proportionality • Law is unclear • HJTA 34

Special Taxes • Improvement plan Methodology • • Resolution of consolidation • Polling place vs mailed ballot Tabulate votes • 35

Comparison of Taxes vs Assessments Criteria Special Tax Assessment Who votes? Registered Voters Property Owners Who created requirements? Jarvis Taxpayers Jarvis Taxpayers Election venue Polling Booth Mailed Ballot Election period 1 Day 45 Days Deadline to place on County tax bill August 10 August 10 Does everyone who will pay get a vote? No Yes Are votes proportional to overall burden? No Yes Threshold of vote required for success Super Majority (66.6%+) Weighted Majority (50%+) Most common local funding option for fire Yes Yes Special benefit required No Yes Use of funds Wide Range Somewhat Limited 36

Next Steps • Public opinion survey • Community outreach • Ballot measure 37

Public Opinion Surveys Why surveys are useful • Identify winnable rate • Identify key messages • Choose optimal funding mechanism Phone vs mail vs online 38

Community Outreach • Start early • Be… • authentic • transparent • approachable • clear • credible • Face-to-face • Detailed financials and services • Time intensive 39

Summary • This problem won’t solve itself • There’s something we can do about it - If we have the money • Funding options are available • Look before you leap • Put in the work 40

Questions & Answers 41