PROPOSED NEW
FIRE ZIB IN SCOTT VALLEY:
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors recently approved a resolution calling for an
election in November on the formation of a new Zone of Increased Benefit (ZIB) in the
foothill areas around Scott
Valley.
Currently,
Fire Protection is provided by the Cities of Fort Jones and Etna, and the Scott Valley
Fire Protection District (SVFPD) formed by voters in the valley. The remainder of the area
is in Community Services Area 4 (CSA4,) a vast area of the county which collects very
little in measurable taxes for fire service and has no fire department of its own. CSA4
areas that lie within Scott
Valley
are served by Cal-Fire out of Fort
Jones
in the summer and Yreka in the winter. Cal Fire (formerly CDF) is the state fire agency
and resources during fire season are deployed according to statewide priorities. Under
mutual aid, nearby fire departments also respond but receive no taxes to support this
service.
The
election would allow the 90 some households located in the foothill areas to form a ZIB,
self tax and allow the Board of Supervisors to contract with SVFPD to provide regular fire
department services to the area. It is hoped that insurance rates for these areas can then
be dropped from the highest risk (ISO 10) to an ISO rating of 8.5. In some cases, this is
the difference between finding commercial insurance and being uninsured. Currently, structures within the boundaries of the
SVFPD that are located 5 miles or closer to a fire station and under the lower ISO rating
may benefit from lower insurance rates. (Savings depend on the insurance company and the
value of the structures.)
Because
of the Scott Valley Plan, which protects agricultural lands in the valley floor from
development, future growth will likely occur in the foothill areas surrounding the valley.
It is important for voters in this area to ensure fire protection for their property.
Formation and funding of the ZIB is the way to go.
ROAD
IMPROVEMENTS:
The County is anticipating the receipt of about $2,699,683 in state Proposition 1B Streets
and Road Improvement funding which will fund several projects in District 5 in 2008-9.
This includes chip seal or overlay on about six miles of Eastside
Road;
five miles of Gazelle
Callahan Road
at Callahan; and a little less than a mile of Hornbrook
Road.
It also includes bridge replacement at Canyon Creek; and deck replacement on Griffin
and Hilt Hungry bridges.
In
2006, the voters approved Prop. 1B which allocated $19.925 billion in funding for
transportation projects statewide. The total amount allocated to Siskiyou
County
over a period of five years will be about $6.8 million. Additional funding for projects
will be provided at about 15% of the County’s total allocation per year.
FARM BILL: The
five year “Farm Bill” periodically passed by Congress is not only about farming
issues. It has 10 “titles” or categories and one of these is rural development.
This year, Congress has chosen to allocate nothing – zip – zero to rural
development. What does that mean to rural areas like Siskiyou
County?
It means nothing will be spent to develop local “value added” production for our
natural resources. Nothing will be spent on developing alternative clean energy sources in
rural areas. Nothing will be spent on improved water and sewer treatment facilities in
rural areas, rural transportation, affordable housing, rural business financing or
economic development.
The
communities of Siskiyou
County
have benefited enormously from various CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) and other
federal programs. It is time we told our federal representatives (Senators Boxer,
Feinstein and Tom Harkin, Chairman of theSenate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition
and Forestry, as well as Congressmen
Herger and Collin Peterson, Chairman of the
House Committee on Agriculture,) how much this money is needed and important to
revitalizing the rural communities of Siskiyou County.
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