Signatures gathered to add half cent sales tax for fire protections
Signatures are being collected to place a half-cent, countywide sales tax measure on the November ballot to raise money for open space, parks, watershed protection and fire resiliency projects in Napa County.
If approved, the Napa County Wildfire Preparedness, Watershed Protection and Open Space Preservation Act would raise $23 million annually for 18 years. The tax would become effective April 1, 2027.
A minimum of 5,000 signatures must be collected for the initiative to quality for the ballot. Sponsors usually collect more signatures than necessary to make sure they have enough qualified signatures to meet the minimum threshold. The citizens’ initiative needs a simple majority to pass.
The measure’s sponsors, the Napa County Land Trust and Napa Firewise, plan to collect about 7,300 registered voters’ signatures.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors have until Aug. 9 to place it on the November ballot, said Registrar of Voters John Tuteur.
If approved, the money raised would pay for projects that include removing dry brush and dead trees and other hazards to reduce wildfire risks and establish fire breaks. It would also preserve land around lakes and other water sources and maintain open space areas and parks.
The initiative is necessary because there is a huge gap between the available grants and the need, Parker said.
Existing grants “come and go,” Napa County Land Trust CEO Melanie Parker said. “So, they’re not dependable.”
Citizen-backed measures also attract additional grant money. “When you have a local measure like this, you actually are more competitive for state and federal grants,” Parker said.
Joe Nordlinger and Doug Parker submitted a notice of intent to circulate the petition to the Registrar of Voters on Feb. 5. Parker is Napa County Land Trust’s former CEO. Nordlinger is Napa Firewise CEO.
“As recent events have demonstrated, Napa County faces increasingly severe wildfire seasons and drought conditions that threaten our lives, homes, agriculture and communities” the notice of intent states. “Meanwhile, the organizations that mitigate these risks and protect our open spaces and drinking water need stable, long-term funding. Without reliable sources, wildfire prevention and response efforts risk falling short just as the need is greatest.”
In addition, lakes and water sources must be protected from “pollution, overuse and wildfire damage, the petition states. “Without stronger wildfire protections to reduce the risk in our area, insurance companies will cancel more policies or charge significantly more for fire insurance.”
Investments in stewardship of lands protect drinking water sources, Melanie Parker said. It’s about keeping these waters clean, pure and healthy by taking care of the land upstream, she said.
The sales tax could provide funds to acquire land near cities where the public could take children or walk their dogs after work without having to travel far to reach open space or a park, Parker said, noting that lands near cities are more expensive than more remote properties.
Two other sales tax measures to support open space projects have failed at the ballot, one in 2016 and the other in 2020. Voters in 2022 turned down a sales tax for wildfire prevention. These measures, sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, required two-thirds of the votes to pass.
