City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Lisa Roos, City Clerk & Finance Director
Date: 07/14/2026
Subject: Ripon Consolidated Fire District
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
City Council to provide direction regarding the City’s response to the Ripon Consolidated Fire District’s (RCFD) Proposition 218 assessment ballots for City-owned properties.
BACKGROUND:
The RCFD provides fire protection and emergency medical services to approximately 56 square miles of southern San Joaquin County, including the 5 square miles of the City of Ripon. As an independent special district, similar to the Ripon Unified School District and South San Joaquin Irrigation District, RCFD is governed by its own Board of Directors and is funded through property taxes, assessments, service fees, and development impact fees.
Over the past several years, the RCFD has experienced increasing emergency service demands, particularly as a result of concurrent calls – situations where multiple emergencies occur at the same time. As a result, response times have increased, and in some cases, the RCFD does not have available personnel or equipment to respond because crews are already responding to another emergency.
The RCFD has been seeking additional revenue to support a second fire engine with two additional fire fighters/EMS personnel to improve emergency response times.
Since 2020, the members of the Ripon City Council and RCFD Board of Directors Two-by-Two Committee have met multiple times to discuss funding options. After consulting with municipal finance attorneys, the committee determined that a Proposition 218 assessment was the preferred funding mechanism because it:
Is lawful under California law for a special district to impose special taxes or assessments to increase revenue, such as a Proposition 218 Assessment. Requires a 50% plus one vote to be enacted and the RCFD can elect when to have an election rather than having to align with a state election. Levies to all parcels within the RCFD service area according to the benefit being provided.
Provides a revenue source that is reliable and less impacted by short-term economic downturns.
Has no impact to services provided by the City of Ripon, including police, parks maintenance, youth and senior programs.
In August 2024, RCFD completed a Proposition 218 assessment process pursuant to the provisions of the Government Code and a public hearing was held to count the ballots. A majority approval was required for the assessment to pass; however, the assessment failed as a result of receiving 45.1 percent of ballots in favor of the assessment.
Following the unsuccessful election, the RCFD Board of Directors elected to pursue a second Proposition 218 assessment in order to improve service levels. On December 9, 2025, the City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with RCFD to equally share the costs associated with the new Proposition assessment proceedings.
DISCUSSION:
The RCFD has initiated the second Proposition 218 assessment pursuant to the California Government Code. Ballots must be returned by August 13 ,2026.
Information regarding the proposed assessment, including the Engineers Report, is available on the RCFD website: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bc599a6636f44f8b8f8164c979f4e8d6 The City has received ballots for the 98 City-owned parcels located within the RCFD service area. The assessment for City-owned properties totals $12,002.79 for Fiscal Year 2026-27.
For comparison, the proposed assessment for a typical single-family residence is approximately $250 annually. Because Proposition 218 ballots are weighted based on the amount of the proposed assessment, the City’s ballots equate to approximately 48 single-family residence votes.
Staff is requesting City Council provide direction regarding the City’s response to the RCFD Proposition 218 assessment ballots for the 98 City-owned parcels.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City currently does not pay any RCFD assessments or taxes on City-owned properties. If the assessment is not approved: No fiscal impact.
If the assessment is approved: The estimated Fiscal Year 2026-27 cost will be $12,002.79, with annual adjustments up to 2.85 percent, based on the West Region Consumer Price Index.
The $12,002.79 Assessment for 2026-2027 would be allocated as follows:
Fund Amount
General Fund 8,454.09
Water Fund 1,108.55
Garbage Fund 33.02
Sewer Fund 2,201.41
Street & Road Fund 205.72
Grand Total $12,002.79