By Shannon Barry
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 15 to postpone a decision on whether to assess an emergency response and disaster preparedness fee for home and business owners in unincorporated areas. The delay will allow supervisors to solicit additional public input at a hearing scheduled 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Board of Supervisor Chambers, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose.
The national alarm sounded by wildfires in Southern California last summer raised concerns about evacuation preparedness and early warning systems within Santa Clara County.
At a board of supervisors meeting Dec. 4, Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager suggested county staff explore options for funding inspections to ensure all property owners in the county adhere to fire regulations.
Although strong Santa Ana winds and high humidity exacerbated the blazes down South, fire-prone land poses a threat locally as well – a wildlands fire at the Stanford Dish burned 171 acres June 25, and a second blaze on Stanford University property destroyed 20 acres July 5.
Under the proposal, home and business owners in unincorporated, at-risk areas in Santa Clara County would agree to a property-tax increase and allocate a portion for inspections and enforcement of safety regulations.
The proposed fee, which would range in cost for users, could apply to approximately 2.3 million telephone lines in Santa Clara County, including land lines, wireless numbers, trunk lines and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) access.
The ordinance is expected to generate approximately $3.1 million for March-June 2008 and $9.3 million in revenue annually, nearly 25 percent of the county’s anticipated budget to provide emergency communications and disaster preparedness services to residents in the 15 cities and unincorporated areas within the county.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department monitors cities with high fire danger, such as Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Los Gatos. The department notifies property owners of fire regulations and can conduct inspections. The unincorporated areas of the county present a different problem. The county doesn’t have the money or resources to enforce regulations over the hundreds of thousands of acres of unincorporated land, Yeager said.
In hilly or remote areas, large-scale evacuations can be difficult because there are few ways to get in and out, and fire personnel often use the same routes for their access.
To view the ordinance, visit www.sccgov.org and view board agenda item 39.
Contact Shannon Barry at shannonb@latc.com.
