Santa Clarita Real Estate

Tahoe OKs annual tax to increase fire safety

From the Associated Press
October 29, 2007

TAHOE CITY, Calif. — Four months after Lake Tahoe’s largest recorded wild-land fire, Tahoe City-area property owners have overwhelmingly voted to pay an annual assessment to improve fire safety on the north shore.

A total of 3,873 voters approved the assessment while 1,589 rejected it. The mail-in election ended Wednesday, when ballots were counted.

The tax is expected to generate $625,000 a year for expansion of the North Tahoe Fire Protection District’s brush-chipping and fuels reduction programs, and defensible space inspections.

The revenue also will be used to modernize communications systems, contract for water-dropping helicopters, plan neighborhood evacuation routes and increase engine staffing during periods of high fire danger.

Single-family homeowners in the upscale community will be assessed an annual fee starting at $48; commercial property owners will pay a higher rate.