Ripon Consolidated Fire District will be doubling its frontline firefighting personnel and be able to reduce response times to many emergency calls starting as early as February.
That’s thanks to “yes” votes cast by owners of 67.73 percent of the property assessment within the 55 square mile district supporting the Proposition 218 special assessment election.’
It’s passage will cost owners of single family homes $249.98 more annually. Different rates apply to other property.
Voting ended Thursday with 2,712 ballots cast.
The count on Friday showed those owners representing $496,681.93 in property assessment voting compared to $236,691.25 against it.
In terms of ballots attached to each parcel in the district, it was 1,503 in favor and 707 against.
There were 17 invalid ballots processed that represented $5,362.07 toward the overall assessment tally that were not counted.
Fire Chief Eric DeHart thanked property owners for supporting the district and having faith the district will use what is projected to be an additional $1.7 million revenue the first year to deliver the need services as outlined in the measure.
DeHart vowed the district is committed to showing that the trust the vote represents was well placed.
“The strong turnout shows outreach efforts were effective,” DeHart noted.
Roughly 40 percent of all parcel owners cast ballots. In the previous election, it was around 30 percent.
DeHart said the district will now gear up to hire six additional firefighters for staffing 24/7 of the second engine company. The recruitment-interview process is expected to allow filling the new positions by January-February.
The engine company will be stationed at the River Road and North Ripon Road fire station that has been shuttered since completed in 2014.
While some criticized the building of that station without RCFD being able to staff it, to build a 6,500 square-foot station today — as Manteca is in the process of doing in the southwest portion of that city — would cost at least $12 million.
The Ripon station cost over $2 million to build in 2014.
More importantly, it was able to use $1.8 million in redevelopment agency funds the state would have seized after then Gov. Jerry Brown pulled the plug on such agencies up and down the state to avoid state employee layoffs in Sacramento during the Great Recession.
The RDA money was the remaining bond proceeds that the City of Ripon encumbered city property owners for to build needed infrastructure, fight blight, and spur economic development.
Had the money not be spent, Sacramento would have seized it. Ripon property owners are still paying off the RDA bonds.
The balance of the construction cost was covered by fire fees the City of Ripon collected on new growth.
Staffed second station will
reduce response times
A lot of effort was spent explaining how concurrent calls — there were 986 in 2025 — meant someone in the district suffering a medical emergency or whose house was on fire had to wait longer for a mutual aid response from Manteca, Salida, or Ripon.
Getting less attention but arguably as important are the impacts a second engine station at River Road and North Ripon Road will have on response times when there is only one active call.
It will reduce responses to medical and other emergencies in the northern part of the city down to a matter of minutes once an engine rolls out of the station.
DeHart also noted with the second station manned, travel times for responses to the outer reaches of the district are expected to be slashed in half, going from 10 minutes down to 5 minutes.
The assessment rates beyond single family homes on an annual basis for the new parcel tax are:
*$107.32 per unit in a multi-family complex.
*$461.44 per half acre of commercial/industrial.
*$381.88 per half acre for office.
*$630.64 per half acre of storage.
*$33.02 per parking lot.
*$36.82 per vacant lot.
*$2.74 per non-irrigated agricultural land.
*$0.77 per acre of irrigated agricultural land.
*$1.59 per acre of range land an open space.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
