A “yes” vote on this measure is a vote in favor of approving a special tax for the purposes of providing funding for emergency medical and paramedic ambulance services, related fleet and other equipment, and for the repair, upgrade, and improvement of District facilities.
Cambria Community Healthcare DistrictMeasure C-18 Parcel Tax - 2/3 Approval Required
Cambria Community Healthcare District
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To provide the best and most efficient emergency medical and paramedic ambulance transport services to the Cambria community by repairing, replacing, or upgrading its ambulance fleet and related equipment, and repairing, upgrading and improving its healthcare facilities, shall Cambria Community Healthcare District levy an annual tax of $35.04 per parcel within the District, for six years, with cost of living adjustment, generating approximately $236,800 annually, with no funds for salaries, and all funds benefiting the local community?
What is this proposal?
Details — Official information
YES vote means
NO vote means
A “no” vote on this measure is a vote against approving a special tax for the purpose of providing funding for emergency medical and paramedic ambulance services, related fleet and other equipment, and for the repair, upgrade, and improvement of District facilities.
Impartial analysis / Proposal
RITA L. NEAL County Counsel
This measure has been placed on the ballot by the Board of Trustees (“the Board of Trustees”) of the Cambria Community Healthcare District (“District”) and will determine whether a special tax shall be approved to provide funding for emergency medical and paramedic ambulance services, related fleet and other equipment, and for the repair, upgrade, and improvement of District facilities.
Article XIIIA of the California Constitution and Government Code section 50075 authorize the District to impose a special tax if approved by two-thirds of the qualified voters voting within the District. The Board of Trustees has determined that revenue raised from a previous special tax adopted in 2006 was insufficient to operate paramedic ambulance and other emergency medical services within the District, and that the District’s current funds are inadequate to provide funding to replace aging ambulances, other capital expenditure items, or to repair, maintain and upgrade District facilities. For this reason, the Board of Trustees is proposing the approval of a special tax, in the form of a parcel tax, to be levied annually on all parcels of taxable real property within the District. The measure defines “parcel of taxable real property” to mean any unit of real property, lying wholly or partially within the boundaries of the District that receives a separate tax bill for ad valorem property taxes collected by the County Tax Collector, but does not include real property that is otherwise exempt from ad valorem taxes or upon which no such tax is levied in the particular year that the proposed tax will be levied. The proceeds of the special tax may only be used for the specific purposes identified in the full text of the measure.
In accordance with Article XIIIA, Section 4, of the California Constitution, the special tax authorized by this measure will be imposed only if two-thirds of the qualified voters voting on the measure approve it. If the measure is approved, commencing annually in 2019 and continuing until 2025, a special tax in the amount of $35.04 per parcel shall be imposed, subject to an annual Consumer Price Index adjustment. The tax will be collected by the San Luis Obispo County Tax Collector at the same time, in the same manner, and will be subject to the same penalties, as ad valorem property taxes collected by the Tax Collector.
A “yes” vote on this measure is a vote in favor of approving a special tax for the purposes of providing funding for emergency medical and paramedic ambulance services, related fleet and other equipment, and for the repair, upgrade, and improvement of District facilities.
A “no” vote on this measure is a vote against approving a special tax for the purpose of providing funding for emergency medical and paramedic ambulance services, related fleet and other equipment, and for the repair, upgrade, and improvement of District facilities.
Published Arguments — Arguments for and against
Arguments FOR
Voting YES on Measure C-18 means you will be supporting vital capital improvements by funding replacement of our aging ambulance fleet, emergency medical and communications equipment and the repair and upgrade of our Main Street facility. This parcel tax will sunset at the end of six years.
The Cambria Community Healthcare District serves the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County with Paramedic Ambulance services, emergency medical care and public education. Many of our ambulances have nearly 200,000 miles on them and are increasingly costly to maintain. Emergency life-saving equipment is outdated and needs to be replaced. Our Main Street building needs extensive repair and upgrades.
The funds raised by your YES vote on Measure C-18, will be used exclusively for replacing ambulances, replacing outdated emergency medical equipment, radio communications equipment, replacing computer and technology support of our Paramedic Ambulance services, and finally instituting essential repairs and upgrades to our Main Street building. This parcel tax will sunset at the end of six years.
We have made many changes to keep your District financially healthy. We have, however, also experienced a significant reduction in ambulance payments from patients we transport. This has drastically limited our ability to fund the capital improvements essential to our operation. Without these funds the District will be unable to offer the excellent quality and dependable service you have come to depend on.
s/ Jerry Wood
s/ Mary Anne Meyer
s/ Shirley Bianchi
s/ Bob Putney
Arguments AGAINST
Proponents and opponents of the Measure C-18 parcel tax agree on at least one thing: The Cambria Community Healthcare District has a serious cash-flow problem and is fast running out of money.
But C-18 is not the solution. Here’s why:
· The root of the CCHD’s crisis is excessive administrative overhead and poor management of other operating costs. C-18 does nothing to deal with these problems.
· C-18 greatly exaggerates the CCHD’s capital needs. In doing so, it sets the stage for wasteful spending on projects or equipment that the District can do without or can buy more cheaply. For instance, the $1.42 million it would raise for capital spending includes $500,000 to upgrade the District’s Main Street medical building. There is no need to spend anything near that amount on this building, which is usable and just had a new roof installed.
· The need to replace ambulances is also grossly overstated. The District’s two primary ambulances have several years of useful life ahead of them. And when the time comes to replace them (or the two back-up ambulances), the cost will not be $200,000 each, as C-18 proponents claim. The most recently purchased ambulance, for instance, cost just $38,700.
· C-18 will not restore the second nighttime ambulance.
There is a solution to the CCHD’s fiscal crisis. The CCHD Board of Trustees has been presented with a detailed plan to bring expenses back into line with revenue without adding a new tax. But it has failed to enact most of the proposed cost-saving measures. The C-18 tax increase would throw money at low-priority or unneeded capital spending while the District’s operating shortfall gets worse. This is like going out and buying a new car when you can’t even pay the rent. We urge you to vote No on C-18.
s/ Beverly S. Praver
s/ Bill Rice
s/ Ali Kramer
s/ Mark Kramer
s/ Brian Griffin
Replies to Arguments FOR
The majority of the Cambria Community Healthcare District (CCHD) directors have stated, “We have made many changes to keep your District financially healthy.” In fact, they have done little to reduce spending.
Cambrians with backgrounds in healthcare, business and accounting have made some practical cost saving suggestions such as these:
· Stop providing an all-expense-paid Ford Expedition to a CCHD employee to use mainly for commuting to and from Paso Robles.
· Eliminate a non-essential administrative position and return to pre-2017 staffing levels.
· Eliminate monthly stipends for Trustees.
· Replace the current billing service with commercially available software, which will reduce the monthly cost of billing ambulance services.
What has the Board done to implement these ideas? Nothing.
The current Board has failed to control spending in other areas such as legal costs, which, in the latest fiscal year, are nearly three times the total of the year before.
As for the claim that a new tax is the only way to fund equipment needs, the proponents fail to mention Project Heartbeat, a nonprofit fund dedicated to this purpose. It was just tapped to purchase an ambulance for CCHD and currently has a balance of about $142,000.
And once again, not a dollar of the $1.42 million that would be raised by this extra tax can be used to bring back the second night ambulance.
Measure C-18 will not give the CCHD Board the fiscal discipline that it lacks.
Vote NO on C-18.
s/ Beverly S. Praver
s/ Bill Rice
s/ Ali Kramer
s/ Mark Kramer
s/ Brian Griffin
Replies to Arguments AGAINST
Contrary to claims in the rebuttal of Measure C-18, the Cambria Community Healthcare District is not on the verge of bankruptcy. And, there is no operating shortfall projected for 2019.
Fact is, the district projects break-even operating cash flow by year-end because of cost reductions and savings the district has already achieved. That’s why Measure C-18 focuses on capital expenditures only and specifically states that no C-18 funding will go toward salaries, benefits or stipends.
There is a sunset clause in this measure. The tax will not go on indefinitely. After six years, it will no longer be in effect.
What C-18 funding will cover are vital capital expenditures: replacing high mileage ambulances, updating ambulance equipment, modernization of the healthcare facility and other capital needs.
The cost-cutting plan touted by opponents was presented over a year ago. That plan included immediate firing of Administration staff without evaluating any actual savings. But, cutting staff requires labor contract negotiations. Cost: $13,000. Hardly cost effective.
The rebuttal does not consider that ambulance operations are constantly scrutinized. Overtime has been drastically cut; the Operations Director has returned to paramedic duty and works operations around his call-outs. This produced a major reduction in wages and benefit expenses of $113,000 between 2017-18.
The Cambria Community Healthcare District has made important changes to bring spending into line with revenue. Operating costs have already been reduced, but vital capital improvements are still needed. Measure C-18 will cover these needs for the benefit of the community. Vote YES ON C-18.
s/ Shirley Bianchi
s/ William C. Bianchi
s/ Susan L. McDonald
s/ Michael Calderwood
Read the proposed legislation
Proposed legislation
TERMS
To provide the best and most efficient emergency medical and paramedic ambulance transport services to the Cambria community by repairing, replacing, or upgrading its ambulance fleet and related equipment, and repairing, upgrading and improving its healthcare facilities, shall Cambria Community Healthcare District levy an annual tax of $35.04 per parcel within the District, for six years, with cost of living adjustment, generating approximately $236,800 annually, with no funds for salaries, and all funds benefiting the local community, to:
· Maintain and enhance the District’s facilities, including repair, upgrade, and improve its Medical Office;
· Repair, replace, and upgrade the District’s fleet of ambulances;
· Repair, replace, and upgrade the District’s medical equipment and other healthcare-related technology;
· Augment and improve technology and other capital facilities to support resources, assure continuous growth of innovative life-saving techniques and provide the community with access to the most advanced technology and resources;
· Provide Cambria residents with adequate life-saving emergency medical and paramedic ambulance transport services; and
· Secure long-term borrowing of the District for any of the capital expenditures described above.
A. Amount and Basis of Tax
The special tax shall be $35.04 per year per Parcel of Taxable Real Property beginning on July 1, 2019. The term of the special tax shall be six (6) years, ending June 30, 2025. The District shall provide the San Luis Obispo County Tax Collector (“County Tax Collector”) a report indicating the parcel number and amount of tax for each Parcel of Taxable Real Property.
After the first year of the special tax (tax year 2019-20), and beginning with tax year 2020-21 and for each tax year thereafter, the maximum amount of the special tax shall increase by the average percentage by which the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers in both the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Area and the Los Angeles-Riverside –Orange County Area, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor, or any successor to those indices, increased in the twelve (12) months prior to March of the calendar year in which the adjustment is made.
This special tax is estimated to raise $236,800, as adjusted by CPI, in annual local funding for the District. The amount of annual local funding raised by this special tax will vary from year-to-year due to changes in the number of parcels exempt from the levy.
To the extent allowed by law “Parcel of Taxable Real Property” shall be defined as:
1) Any unit of real property which lies wholly or partially within the boundaries of the District and that receives a separate tax bill for ad valorem property taxes from the County Tax Collector’s Office.
2) All property that is otherwise exempt from or upon which are levied no ad valorem property taxes in any year shall not be considered a Parcel of Taxable Real Property for purposes of the special tax in such year.
If any portion of this definition is deemed contrary to law, the Board declares and the voters by approving the Measure concur, that every other section and part of this definition has independent value, and the Board and voters would have adopted each other section and part hereof regardless of every other section or part hereof. If all sections or parts of this definition are deemed contrary to law, “Parcel of Taxable Real Property” shall be defined as any real property in the District assigned a County Assessor’s parcel number.
B. Claim / Exemption Procedures
With respect to all general property tax matters within its jurisdiction, the County Tax Collector or other appropriate County tax official shall make all final determinations of tax exemption or relief for any reason, and that decision shall be final and binding. With respect to matters specific to the levy of the special tax, including the exemptions, the application of the definition of “Parcel of Taxable Real Property” to any parcel(s) or any other disputed matter specific to the application of the special tax, the decisions of the District shall be final and binding.
The procedures described herein, and any additional procedures established by the Board shall be the exclusive claims procedure for claimants seeking an exemption, refund, reduction, or re-computation of the special tax. Whether any particular claim is to be resolved by the District or by the County shall be determined by the District, in coordination with the County as necessary.
C. Appropriations Limit
Pursuant to California Constitution and applicable laws, the appropriations limit for the District will be adjusted periodically by the aggregate sum collected by levy of this special tax.
D. Accountability Measures and Fiscal Impact
1. Specific Purposes. The proceeds of the special tax shall be applied only to the specific purposes identified above. The proceeds of the special tax shall be deposited into a fund, which shall be kept separate and apart from other funds of the District, pursuant to the Government Code.
2. Annual Reports. No later than December 31 of each year while the tax is in effect, the District’s chief fiscal officer shall prepare and file with the Board a report detailing the amount of funds collected and expended, and the status of any project authorized to be funded by this measure. The report may relate to the calendar year, fiscal year, or other appropriate annual period, as said officer shall determine, and may be incorporated into or filed with the annual budget, audit, or other appropriate routine report to the Board.
3. Tax Rate, Estimated Annual Collection Amount, and Duration of Tax. Pursuant to California Elections Code section 13119 (i) the rate of the annual special tax is $35.04 per parcel, subject to annual CPI adjustment; (ii) the estimated average amount of the special tax expected to be collected in each year is expected to be $236,800 per year; and (iii) the term of the collection of the special tax is six (6) years, ending June 30, 2025. The tax information estimates in this statement reflect the District's current determination of the number of taxable parcels, which is based on certain assumptions. The actual amount of money raised in each year the tax is levied may vary due to factors including, but not limited to, variations in the number of taxable parcels within the District and inflation.
E. Severability
The Board hereby declares, and the voters by approving this measure concur, that every section and part of this measure has independent value, and the Board and the voters would have adopted each provision hereof regardless of every other provision hereof. Upon approval of this measure by the voters, should any part of the measure or taxing formula be found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid for any reason, all remaining parts of the measure or taxing formula hereof shall remain in full force and effect to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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