Measure A Flyers Suggest Bond Would Fund Fire Academy Already Paid for by State
Critics say a parcel tax – rather than a bond – would reduce the burden on property owners by more than half
A series of political flyers about Measure A — a 35-year levy on property owners — has raised concerns among voters about claims and costs.
The most recent flyer arrived Tuesday, claiming that Measure A “will expand safe, modern classrooms and labs to train the firefighters we desperately need — people who will live and serve right here in our communities, including wildfire training and making the updated Firefighting Academy a reality.”
However, in March, the state of California announced a $20 million investment to fund a new 19,000-square-foot building on the Mendocino College Willits campus specifically for a new fire academy.
According to state Sen. Mike McGuire, who spoke at the funding announcement ceremony, the building will house training programs in fire science, construction and energy technology, laboratory services, and healthcare workforce development.
“I couldn’t be more excited that we are building the newest Fire Academy on the North Coast right here in Willits,” McGuire said.
Measure A would authorize the sale of $98 million in general obligation bonds and obligate Mendocino County property owners to repay approximately $210 million in principal and interest — roughly $3,800 per assessor parcel over three and a half decades.
However, because of the structure of the tax, people who purchased property within the last six years could pay substantially more. The voter information guide also notes that the total cost of the bond could exceed current estimates.
“The foregoing information is based upon projections and estimates only,” the guide states. Amounts such as the estimated $210 million debt service “are not maximum amounts and durations and are not binding on the district.”
Dennis Miller, a Fort Bragg retiree, has been speaking out about the cost of the bond at public meetings.
“There’s not a lot of information about how much bonds cost, and to me it is unbelievable,” Miller recently told the Willits City Council.
Miller said he is not opposed to funding education but would prefer a parcel tax, which would directly fund the college. According to the voter guide, more than half of taxes levied on property owners would go toward principal and interest paid to bondholders.
Despite the much higher long-term cost to taxpayers, government entities sometimes favor general obligation bonds because they can pass with 55 percent voter approval, compared with the 66.66 percent threshold generally required for parcel taxes.
In a letter to the editor published by The Mendocino Voice, B.B. Kamoroff of Willits noted that while the flyers portray Measure A as supporting “affordable education,” the voter guide lists more than 100 potential projects eligible for bond funding.
Kamoroff cited projects including dining facilities, bookstores, theaters, galleries, athletic and wellness facilities, performing arts spaces, a data center, land acquisition, demolition work, roads, parking lots, irrigation systems, vehicles, furniture, elevators, generators, and administrative costs.
“The funds will also go to pay assessment reviews, planning costs, staff training, and to the district for employee salaries,” Kamoroff wrote.
Kamoroff described it as “regrettable” that the flyers, misrepresent how the money would be spent.