After residents of the Russian River Fire District solidly trounced a proposed tax increase Tuesday, disappointed fire officials will try to repackage a tax as something voters may be more likely to approve.


Fire Chief Sean Grinnell on Wednesday said he thinks the resounding loss was caused by concerns about the economy and confusion regarding the tax's cost for some parcels.

"People pointed out some things they didn't feel were completely fair. There were valid points out there. I have to agree with them," he said.

But the fire district needs more money, Grinnell said, and he predicted he'll be back before voters soon with another proposal.

"To maintain the model of what the fire district needs to operate, I need help from the public, or I need to reduce that level of service," Grinnell said.

Resident Lloyd Guccione supported the tax, saying he attended district meetings and believed officials did the best they could with the proposal.

"Whether it's possible to come up with another measure . . . it's not clear," Guccione said.

Almost 60 percent of 1,317 ballots in Tuesday's mail-in election were against the measure, which needed two-thirds approval to pass.

The measure would have raised the annual tax to $40 per "unit of risk." A typical residence is considered four units. A small restaurant is 15 units.

Officials said that although a home could see a hike to $160 a year, the district pledged to limit it to $80 the first year.

The revenue would have allowed the district to staff four firefighters a shift so it could respond to two emergencies at the same time.

There now are three firefighters a shift, enough for only one response at a time.

When the last parcel tax for fire services was approved about 30 years ago, ambulance service was added to the district, Grinnell said, and annual calls for service then were about 500.

Last year, the district received 1,447 calls.

Talks about how to proceed are planned, starting at Wednesday's board meeting.

Some opponents have offered to help develop a more palatable tax, and Grinnell said he looks forward to that input.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.