Amador County – Amador County Supervisor Vice Chairman Richard Forster appeared in Sacramento in support of legislation that would help the county, including a bill that would eliminate the State Responsibility Area “Fire Fee.”

Forster was scheduled to appear Friday, May 25 to represent the Regional Council of Rural Counties Board of Directors in support of Assembly bills regarding State Responsibility Area funds.

Forster and RCRC staff Cyndi Hillery, Paul Smith, and Staci Heaton, were to address the Assembly Appropriations Committee which was to hear two bills regarding State Responsibility Area Fees.

RCRC’s Jehan Flagg said Assembly Bill 2474 by Arcata Democrat Wes Chesbro “attempts to resolve some of the inequities in which fire prevention fees are imposed on structure owners” in the SRAs. And Assembly Bill 1506 by Riverside Republican Kevin Jeffries “repeals recently instituted fees on structure owners located within the SRA, commonly referred to as the ‘fire fee’.”

Flagg said: “People living in rural counties already pay for fire service. Rural counties believe these additional SRA fees are inequitable, result in double and triple taxation and don’t provide any additional benefit. Also, Cal FIRE’s most expensive activities are for fire suppression in highly urbanized areas, not rural areas.”

The “SRA fees jeopardize fire and/or disaster management responses between the State, emergency responders and local governments,” Flagg said.

Forster, chairman of the RCRC board’s regulatory committee, also testified on behalf of RCRC and member counties May 16 in San Diego during the San Diego implementation hearing of the California Board of Forestry. He told them “RCRC has opposed SRA fees throughout this process, and we remain opposed,” and he encouraged repeal of the Assembly Bill 29X, which created the Fire Fee. AB 29X was a legislative budget trailer bill, which was passed in 2011 and is being implemented by regulations at the California Board of Forestry, due to the directive from the Legislature in AB 29X.

Flagg said “the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California Board of Equalization said they need to hire more staff to administer SRA fees.” AB 1506 would completely repeal SRA fees.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.