Politics & Government
Marin County Considers New Wildfire Prevention Authority
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider forming a Wildfire Prevention Authority comprised of 19 fire agencies in the county.
SAN RAFAEL, CA — The Marin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider forming a Wildfire Prevention Authority comprised of 19 fire agencies in the county.
The vote follows an extensive effort by fire officials, law enforcement agencies and city and town governments to create the new Joint Powers Authority.
The Board of Supervisors discussed the plan on Aug. 13 and will vote Tuesday on a resolution that directs staff to seek approval within the next six weeks from the 19 fire agencies to join the authority.
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The agencies would also ask the county to place a parcel tax measure to fund the authority on the March 2020 ballot. If approved, the parcel tax would raise approximately $21 million a year, according to the Marin County Administrator's Office.
Sixty percent of the tax revenue would go to vegetation management, wildfire detection, evacuation system improvements, grants and public education.
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Twenty percent would go toward annual defensible space and home hardening evaluations and the remaining 20 percent would pay for local-specific wildfire prevention efforts. All the tax revenue would stay in the county, be restricted to fire prevention programs and by subject to independent oversight and audits.
"A fast-moving wildfire does not care about jurisdictional boundaries, so we need a coordinated, large-scale countywide effort with flexibility to allocate funds where the risks are," Board of Supervisors President Kate Sears said in a news release.
"Saving lives and property should be our priority, and this proposal represents the best approach after a tremendous amount of effort among countless parties who've contributed their ideas," Sears said.
The discussion on the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority Tuesday will be televised live on Comcast channel 27 and AT&T U-Verse. It also will be webcast live on the Marin County website.
The discussion is scheduled for the Board's morning calendar that starts 9 a.m. at the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael.
– Bay City News Service
