Recommendation R2. In 2019, the Police Chief adopted, and the City Council hereby supports, Department Order #600-01 entitled “Cold Case Investigations”. Article II of said Department Order includes a new definition of “Cold Case Investigations” which is consistent with Recommendation R2.
R8: Each law enforcement agency in San Joaquin County sign a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the newly formed Cold Case Task Force no later than October 1, 2024.
Response to R8: In response, the City Council agrees with the Grand Jury’s Finding and Recommendation R8. In 2019, the Police Chief adopted, and the City Council hereby supports, Department Order #600-01 entitled “Cold Case Investigations”. Relative to Recommendation R8, Department Order 600-01 states: “In the pursuit of successful collaboration, the Ripon Police Department will sign a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the newly formed San Joaquin County Cold Case Task Force.”
R10: Each law enforcement agency in San Joaquin County develop a procedure and practice for maintaining periodic contact with family members of cold case victims no later than October 1, 2024.
Response to R10: In response, the City Council agrees with the Grand Jury’s Finding and Recommendation R10. In 2019, Police Chief adopted, and the City Council hereby supports, Department Order #600-01 entitled “Cold Case Investigations”. Relative to Recommendation R10, Department Order 600-01 establishes a procedure and practice for maintaining periodic contact with family members of cold case victims.
Finding and Recommendation R.1.1
As previously stated in the City’s “Response to R8” above, the City of Ripon will participate in the task force being formed and implemented by the San Joaquin Sheriff’s office.
The City Council appreciates the efforts of the Grand Jury in connection with the aforementioned report, and the opportunity to provide this response.
Sincerely,
Leo Zuber
5.A.c
Packet Pg. 310 Attachment: DRAFT City Council Response to Grand Jury (4358 : Grand Jury Response - Draft) City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Kevin Werner, City Administrator
Date: 08/13/2024
Subject: RCFD 218 Update
Vice Mayor de Graaf has requested the August City Council agenda include an item for the City Council to be updated on the Fire District’s Proposition 218 Assessment election that is scheduled for August 8th.
BACKGROUND
The City of Ripon and Ripon Consolidated Fire District (“Fire District”) are different municipal entities, each with an elected governing body. The Fire District was established as an independent special district in 1921, prior to the incorporation of the City of Ripon, with the purpose of providing fire suppression and emergency medical services for the Fire District’s 56 square mile service area, which includes the current Ripon city limits.
As an independent special district, the Fire District operates as a self-governing government entity with control over their own internal fiscal decisions, as provided by State law. The Fire District relies primarily upon property taxes, special assessments, fees for services, and development mitigation fees to provide fire suppression and emergency medical services.
The Ripon Fire District Board of Directors has communicated to the public that additional revenue is needed to continue to provide the level of service for fire suppression and emergency medical services that has historically been provided to the properties within their service area.
Property tax revenue is the largest source of revenue to the Fire District and has been impacted by two actions:
Proposition 13 was passed in 1978 that capped the property tax of a property at 1% of the assessed value. The allocation formula that was included in this law and subsequent legislative action allocated less property tax to the special districts, such as the Fire District, that had smaller budgets compared to other districts. This has resulted in the Ripon Fire District receiving 5-6% of the 1% of the assessed property value as compared to other nearby fire districts that collect 10-11%.
5.B
Packet Pg. 311
The 1985 property tax assessment that was approved by the voters within the Fire District service area was not indexed. As inflation has increased since 1985, the value of the assessment has been eroded. If this assessment was indexed when approved to keep up with inflation, the amount collected in 2024 would be sufficient to continue to operate the Fire District without an additional assessment.
Since 2020, the members of the Ripon City Council and Fire District Two-by-Two Committee have met multiple times to discuss how best the City of Ripon can support the Fire District to ensure they are able to continue to provide the high level of service the residents and businesses of Ripon have appreciated for so many years. The Two-by-Two Committee members, along with attorneys who specialize in municipal finance, met to discuss options to increase Fire District operating revenue. It was decided that the Proposition 218 Assessment was the preferred option to increase operating revenue because of the following benefits:
It is lawful by State law for a special district to impose special taxes or assessments to increase revenue, such as a Proposition 218 Assessment. The Proposition 218 Assessment requires a 50% plus one vote to be enacted and the Fire District can elect when to have an election rather than having to align with a state election.
The Proposition 218 Assessment allows the Fire District to recover property tax revenue that has been impacted by the implementation of Proposition 13 and the 1985 Assessment not being indexed.
The assessment amount is levied to all parcels within the Fire District service area according to the benefit being provided.
A Proposition 218 Assessment revenue source provides a reliable revenue source that is less impacted by short-term economic downturns.
The Proposition 218 Assessment would have no impact to services provided by the City of Ripon, including police, parks maintenance, youth and senior programs, etc.
At the October 12, 2021 City Council meeting, the City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Ripon and the Fire District that defined the roles and responsibilities of each entity through the Proposition 218 Assessment process, which included the City of Ripon and the Fire District sharing in the expense of the assessment.
The Fire District has initiated the proceedings for the adoption of the Proposition 218 Assessment pursuant to the provisions of the Government Code.
5.B
Packet Pg. 312