Regular-General Government # 22.
Board of Supervisors
County Administrator
- Meeting Date:
- 01/27/2026
- Brief Title
- Fire Sustainability Update - Clarksburg FPD
From:
Michael Webb, County Administrative Officer, County Administrator's Office
Staff Contact:
Alexander Tengolics, Director of Strategic Operations, County Administrator's Office, X8068
Supervisorial District Impact:
Countywide
Subject
Receive status update on Fire Sustainability and the Clarksburg Fire Protection District matching fund eligibility; and provide staff direction on next steps. (No general fund impact) (Webb/Tengolics) (Est. Staff Presentation: 5 min)
Recommended Action
- Receive status update on Fire Sustainability and the Clarksburg Fire Protection District matching fund eligibility; and
- Provide staff direction on next steps.
Strategic Plan Goal(s)
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Thriving Residents |
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Sustainable Environment |
Reason for Recommended Action/Background
Since 2022 the County has been assisting fire protection districts with funding to conduct Proposition 218 elections to increase assessments to improve the financial sustainability of the districts. The County has also been providing one-time and matching recurring funding to districts pursuant to the Board-approved procedures for administering and distributing fire sustainability funds. To date, twelve fire protection districts have completed a Proposition 218 election, with nine passing and three not passing (Att. A).
The fire sustainability funding guidelines state that the County will match new, additional revenues generated as part of an updated Proposition 218 assessment (Att. B):
Fire District Sustainability Funding is intended to match new, additional revenues generated as part of a Proposition 218 process conducted after July 1, 2023. As such, only Fire Protection Districts with a new Proposition 218 assessment approved by district voters will be eligible for ongoing sustainability funding. Existing Proposition 218 assessments, including any cost-of-living adjustments, will not be eligible for matching funds. Cost-of-living adjustments from new Proposition 218 studies will be eligible for matching funds up to the maximum amount calculated for each Fire District.
Recently, the Clarksburg Fire Protection District (District) repealed and replaced an existing Proposition 218 assessment which had been established in 2002. The engineer’s report for the assessment was developed by DCC Engineering, rather than the County-retained SCI Consulting, at the request of the District; the County provided $21,254 to assist with the costs of the engineer’s report and Proposition 218 election consistent with the County’s intent of assisting fire protection districts with the Proposition 218 election process. The Proposition 218 election concluded on June 10, 2025, with the new assessment successfully passing which repealed and replaced the prior assessment.
As summarized in the table below, the District is eligible for up to $146,479 in matching funds as previously established by formula; this amount has been included in the total General Fund appropriation for fire sustainability matching funds in the FY26 Adopted Budget. The new assessment generated $98,935 in revenue, an increase of $10,743 over the prior assessment. Pursuant to the current fire sustainability funding guidelines, only the $10,743 in new revenue would be eligible for County matching funds rather than the total amount of $98,935.
The fire sustainability funding guidelines state that the County will match new, additional revenues generated as part of an updated Proposition 218 assessment (Att. B):
Fire District Sustainability Funding is intended to match new, additional revenues generated as part of a Proposition 218 process conducted after July 1, 2023. As such, only Fire Protection Districts with a new Proposition 218 assessment approved by district voters will be eligible for ongoing sustainability funding. Existing Proposition 218 assessments, including any cost-of-living adjustments, will not be eligible for matching funds. Cost-of-living adjustments from new Proposition 218 studies will be eligible for matching funds up to the maximum amount calculated for each Fire District.
Recently, the Clarksburg Fire Protection District (District) repealed and replaced an existing Proposition 218 assessment which had been established in 2002. The engineer’s report for the assessment was developed by DCC Engineering, rather than the County-retained SCI Consulting, at the request of the District; the County provided $21,254 to assist with the costs of the engineer’s report and Proposition 218 election consistent with the County’s intent of assisting fire protection districts with the Proposition 218 election process. The Proposition 218 election concluded on June 10, 2025, with the new assessment successfully passing which repealed and replaced the prior assessment.
As summarized in the table below, the District is eligible for up to $146,479 in matching funds as previously established by formula; this amount has been included in the total General Fund appropriation for fire sustainability matching funds in the FY26 Adopted Budget. The new assessment generated $98,935 in revenue, an increase of $10,743 over the prior assessment. Pursuant to the current fire sustainability funding guidelines, only the $10,743 in new revenue would be eligible for County matching funds rather than the total amount of $98,935.
| Funding Eligibility/ Maximum County Match (set by formula) | Total Assessment Amount for FY 2025-2026 | Prior To The Recent Prop. 218 Assessment Revenue FY 2024 - 2025 |
Increase In Revenue from The Recent Prop. 218 | Remaining |
| $ 146,479.00 | $98,935.94 | $88,192.92 | $10,743.02 | $47,543 - $135,732.98 |
The District requested the full $98,935 be matched stating that the old assessment was repealed and replaced and is therefore a new assessment (no other fire protection district structured their Proposition 218 election as a repeal and replace of their existing assessment). Staff is unaware of any communication with the District that states or concurs with this interpretation. Additionally, many districts had prior Proposition 218 assessments and were able to generate new revenues in excess of the maximum county match as summarized in the table below. This, in part, is likely due to other districts including full-time staffing costs as an element of district need in the engineer’s report. Clarksburg Fire Protection District did not include staffing costs as an element of district need and only included an analysis of staffing costs for “planning purposes only” if “volunteer volumes decline."
| Fire District | Maximum Match Funding | Prior Assessment | New Assessment | Revenue Increase |
| Capay Valley | 122,375.00 | - | 134,292.62 | 134,292.62 |
| Clarksburg | 146,479.00 | 88,192.92 | 98,935.94 | 10,743.02 |
| Esparto | 205,006.00 | 78,949.00 | 338,018.90 | 259,069.90 |
| Knights Landing | 130,803.00 | 13,856.38 | 151,497.16 | 137,640.78 |
| Madison | 128,204.00 | 36,453.18 | 236,719.80 | 200,266.62 |
| West Plainfield | 127,810.00 | - | 243,569.22 | 243,569.22 |
| Willow Oak | 178,933.00 | - | 370,555.00 | 370,555.00 |
| Yolo | 147,424.00 | 40,811.34 | 237,747.52 | 196,936.18 |
Staff presented this issue to the Fire Sustainability Ad-Hoc Subcommittee, which requested this matter come before the full Board for consideration. Staff seeks feedback and direction from the Board if it wishes to revise or reinterpret the funding guidelines to address the repeal and replace mechanism utilized by the Clarksburg Fire Protection District, maintain the existing guidelines and interpretation, or provide other direction.
Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies)
County Administrator's Office, Department of Finance, and Fire Sustainability Ad Hoc.
Attachments
- Att. A. Summary of Prop. 218 Election
- Att. B. Fire Sustainability Funding Guidelines
- Att. C. Presentation
- Att. D. Comments from the Clarksburg Fire Protection District
Form Review
| Inbox | Reviewed By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Berenice Espitia (Originator) | Berenice Espitia | 10/17/2025 04:21 PM |
| Financial Services | Laura Liddicoet | 12/02/2025 12:48 PM |
| Mark Bryan | Mark Bryan | 01/14/2026 12:06 PM |
| Michael Webb | Michael Webb | 01/21/2026 12:02 PM |
| Yen Nguyen | Yen Nguyen | 01/21/2026 04:10 PM |
- Form Started By:
- Berenice Espitia
- Started On:
- 10/02/2025 11:58 AM
- Final Approval Date:
- 01/21/2026