By Christine Morente
Inside Bay Area (California)
Copyright 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
All Rights Reserved
BELMONT, Calif. — Calling on the work ethic of a Jehovah’s Witness, Belmont and San Carlos firefighters will soon go door-to-door, asking homeowners to vote for fire assessments to maintain services.
It will be a tough job, especially if they have to convince three gentlemen who have coffee outside of Doc’s at the Carlmont Shopping Center in Belmont.
They call themselves the “tough old guys from Immaculate Heart of Mary,” and they said they won’t support the assessment.
“I would find it difficult for them to substantiate the need for money to maintain services,” said Peter Kimball, a Belmont resident. “I think their first reaction to balance the budget with a government organization is to raise taxes or fees associated with that particular agency. (They don’t) review their cost structure. I think it should be run like a business.”
“Look to economize,” said John DiPaola, another Belmont tough guy. “They should ask how (they) can be more efficient.”
Starting Sept. 29, San Carlos and Belmont property owners will be asked to vote on a tax that would help fund the financially ailing district.
Ultimately, it is the passage of both assessments that will determine the future of the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department.
In Belmont, an annual tax of $93 per property would raise $1.06 million a year for 15 years. In San Carlos, a $99 ayear per property assessment would raise $1.2 million, also for 15 years. Commercial businesses in both cities will be assessed based on the property’s square footage.
In 2003, the failure of Measure I — a fire tax assessment — forced layoffs and demotions. The tax would have charged residential homeowners $88 per dwelling per year and 11 cents per square foot for nonresidential property owners.
The goal was to raise $3.2 million a year for the department formerly called the South County Fire Protection Authority, which continued to face yearly deficits and further budget cuts from Belmont and San Carlos city councils.
Kimball and DiPaola’s sentiments are examples of what firefighters will face this month.
Many property owners aren’t aware of the assessment, while others are dead set against it.
A simple majority is needed to pass the assessments. Results of the elections will be available in mid-November.
Pat Bell, a San Carlos resident for five years, has been following the issue for about a year.
“My concern is, I haven’t heard boo about anything being done (with the campaign), and the people haven’t paid attention all this time,” she said. “We better educate them. I can tell you why they need the money. (But) if I’m the only one, they’re in bad shape.”
A full-scale education campaign will begin this month — first with mailers that list the benefits of the two fire assessments, and what would happen if one or both failed. Later, a number of firefighters will volunteer and may go door-to-door during the campaign process.
They probably shouldn’t bother ringing Bryan Cofflind’s doorbell.
“I’m done,” the San Carlos resident said. “Property taxes are going up, there’s the school tax, and so I’m fed up. Mr. Bush is doing a fine job spending all of our money. I’m voting, no. Definitely.”
Bell says otherwise.
“We owe a tremendous debt to the firefighters,” she said. “They have stuck with us through all the cuts for the last three years, and we have not been as supportive of them as they have been for us.”