Felton Fire District Shifts from Parcel Tax to Property Assessment

By Mary Andersen

Felton Fire Protection District has been moving toward a major funding mechanism that could impact how fire and emergency services are delivered to the roughly 6,000 permanent residents, and up to 15,000 seasonal visitors, who depend on the small Santa Cruz Mountains agency. Through 2025, the district explored a $682+ parcel tax for a possible ballot measure, but that process stalled before reaching voters. It would have required a 2/3 (66.67%) “yes” vote.

In late 2025, Felton Fire engaged SCI Consulting Group to develop an Engineer’s Report to form the basis of a property tax mechanism called a Proposition 218 Benefit Assessment District. At its March 2026 board meeting, the board voted 4–1 to pursue a funding target of $1.7 million annually, an amount the district’s interim chief Isaac Blum says represents the minimum needed to maintain full‑time operations and paid firefighting staff, including a significant raise for the chief’s position. The assessment can move forward so long as more than 50 percent of the weighted ballots do not oppose it, allowing Felton Fire to circumvent the standard 2/3 vote threshold. 

Felton Fire has faced well‑documented financial and governance challenges over the years, including leadership turnover, absentee leadership, transparency deficits, difficulty retaining volunteers, and mounting pension obligations. The district currently collects approximately $1.1 million annually, a figure Blum says falls short of what is needed to meet modern staffing standards. The board’s decision to pursue a Proposition 218 Benefit Assessment reflects an effort to close that gap.

That ballot mechanism has been used in the county previously. Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District pursued the same process twice, in 2024 and 2025, working with the same consulting firm. Both attempts failed. The district’s 2025 Engineer’s Report proposed rates that fell heavily on commercial, storage, and large‑acreage agricultural properties, generating significant opposition from business owners who faced substantial bills. Following the second failed ballot, Pajaro Valley’s board voted in April 2025 to seek dissolution and reorganization into Santa Cruz County Service Area 48. That process remains underway at LAFCO — the Santa Cruz County agency that has jurisdiction over special districts and county service areas.  

While Felton is predominantly residential, district boundaries also include large enterprises such as Roaring Camp Railroads, Mount Hermon Conference Center, San Lorenzo Lumber, and San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District properties, among others.

The State Parks Question

State‑owned property is exempt from property taxation, and that exemption extends to most Proposition 218 benefit assessments, meaning Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park’s substantial acreage, along with the Fall Creek Unit, contributes nothing to the assessment roll despite Felton Fire regularly responding to emergencies there. SCI’s report will be required to classify state park parcels as exempt — which either reduces the total assessable budget or pushes rates higher on the private parcels that remain.​

June Ballots and Upcoming Meetings

The district has confirmed that ballots should be mailed to home owners the first week of June. “These dates have been set by SCI Consulting and may be subject to slight change to comply with the state requirement for the 45 day distribution,” Blum said. 

When asked to share the SCI Consulting Engineer’s Report showing how the assessment was calculated and justified, Chief Blum responded, “There is an engineered report that calculates the parcel taxes per parcel but at present I do not envision publicly posting that. I am happy to give individual homeowners the total sum assessed, and will be offering that at the community outreach events. For those that do not request that information ahead of the balloting, the individual ballot will contain the personalized taxable amount so every owner will know the exact amount before voting.”

A California Public Records Request Act has been submitted to the Felton Fire Protection District to compel public release of the SCI Consulting Group’s report.

Upcoming Public Meetings Hosted by Felton Fire

Wed. April 8, 2026; Sat. April 18, 2026
Wed. May 6, 2026; Sat. May 16, 2026
Wed. June 17, 2026; Sat. June 27, 2026

The April and May meetings represent an opportunity for residents, property owners, and business operators to review the proposed rates and ask questions before the formal ballot process begins. Community members are encouraged to attend.

All meetings will be held at Felton Fire, 131 Kirby St., from 6 to 7:30 p.m.