Ventura County Public Facilities Finances

Ventura County firefighters made a public plea Tuesday for a new property tax to offset expected budget cuts, saying this year's wildfire season could be worse than usual because of extraordinary growth of grass and brush. County Fire Chief George Lund urged county supervisors and property owners to support the tax--which would average $115 per parcel of land--to cushion the impact of a possible $20-million drop in state revenue.

On the eve of its 65th anniversary, the Ventura County Fire Department faces two dark paths, knowing full well that tigers lurk down each. Top Fire Department officials say they must choose either layoffs or a new tax on county residents because funding cuts proposed by Gov. Pete Wilson could chop their $45-million budget nearly in half. No matter which choice they make, officials say, they are sure to be attacked by angry taxpayers from Thousand Oaks to Ojai.

Ventura County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to tax property owners up to $14 annually to control mosquitoes and to keep the county's streams and rivers free of pollution. But the board stopped short of assessing homeowners an additional $4 to $15 annually to make up for funds that the state plans to take away from the county's Flood Control District.

Ventura County firefighters made a public plea Tuesday for a new property tax to offset expected budget cuts, saying this year's wildfire season could be worse than usual because of extraordinary growth of grass and brush. County Fire Chief George Lund urged county supervisors and property owners to support the tax--which would average $115 per parcel of land--to cushion the impact of a possible $20-million drop in state revenue.

On the eve of its 65th anniversary, the Ventura County Fire Department faces two dark paths, knowing full well that tigers lurk down each. Top Fire Department officials say they must choose either layoffs or a new tax on county residents because funding cuts proposed by Gov. Pete Wilson could chop their $45-million budget nearly in half. No matter which choice they make, officials say, they are sure to be attacked by angry taxpayers from Thousand Oaks to Ojai.

Ventura County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to tax property owners up to $14 annually to control mosquitoes and to keep the county's streams and rivers free of pollution. But the board stopped short of assessing homeowners an additional $4 to $15 annually to make up for funds that the state plans to take away from the county's Flood Control District.