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Board shifts property‑tax shares to boost Valley Center and Deer Springs fire districts, approves county service enhancements
Summary
After extensive public comment, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to increase property‑tax allocations to Valley Center and Deer Springs to 6% and to add paramedic staffing for Palma Valley, East Otay Mesa and Highway 94, while directing follow‑up steps for implementation.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 8 voted to increase property‑tax allocations to two struggling rural fire protection districts and to fund a set of county fire enhancements, a move board members and local residents said is aimed at reducing response times and easing insurance pressures.
County staff presented a range of options to the board after a July directive to review resources, funding and sustainability for Valley Center and Deer Springs fire protection districts. Jeff Collins, director of County Fire, told the board that Valley Center and Deer Springs currently receive just above 2% of the 1% property‑tax share, far below many other districts. Collins said raising Valley Center to 6% under Option 1a would provide about $1.5 million in additional annual funding using FY24‑25 projections; a similar 6% allocation for Deer Springs (Option 2a) would add about $1.2 million annually.
"Valley Center and Deer Springs received just above 2%, and they are the only remaining agencies at this level," Collins said during the presentation. Joan, the county financial presenter, summarized fiscal impacts and noted there would be no fiscal effect in the current fiscal year and that any changes would be implemented at the earliest on 07/01/2526 (as stated by staff).
Dozens of residents, volunteer firefighters and local officials urged supervisors to approve the moves at the public podium. Lavonne Norwood of the Valley Center Community Planning Group said the district had been allocated at 2.19% since the 1980s while its population rose from about 8,000 to roughly 25,000. "We are asking for our brave men and women to risk their lives daily. It's time that our hardworking fire district gets what they deserve," she said.
Other speakers cited rising homeowners‑insurance cancellations, unfilled firefighter positions and the need for a permanent third station in Valley Center. Bob Littlejohn, a retired Navy commander and volunteer fire lookout, noted local pay challenges: "Starting hourly pay for a VC FPD firefighter EMS is $17.75 to $19.50 an hour. Pay at McDonald's in Valley Center starts at $20 an hour." Michael O'Connor, a longtime resident and former firefighter, warned that parcel‑tax measures face a two‑thirds voter threshold and urged the board to act through reallocation instead.
Supervisor Desmond moved the measure to bring Valley Center and Deer Springs to 6% and to add the county service enhancements (paramedic engine and squad placements in Palma Valley, East Otay Mesa and Highway 94). The motion was seconded and the clerk announced the motion passed, with Vice Chair Lawson Reamer recorded as abstaining and the remaining supervisors present voting in favor.
County staff said that if the board approves reallocation, the districts must still hold public hearings and the county would return with formal resolutions and implementation details. The presentation also listed alternatives the board could direct staff to pursue, including a memorandum of agreement with each district, a parcel‑tax ballot measure, or seeking state funding.
The board action is procedural: supervisors approved the set of options and direction that will be folded into next year’s operational planning and follow‑up staff work. County staff will return with required resolutions and more precise implementation steps, including public hearings in the affected districts.
