An effort to provide financial support to fire services in the city of Dos Palos appears to be headed for success.
Dos Palos voters on March 4 cast ballots in a special election for Measure S, which would raise the city’s sales tax rate from 7.75% to 8.25% to generate $200,000 annually for fire services.
As of Friday, the measure received 76% support from Dos Palos voters who cast ballots. The measure requires two-thirds support to succeed.
Merced County Registrar of Voters Melvin E. Levey said ballots postmarked by March 4 will be counted through March 11. Levey expects the election to be certified by March 14.
Still, he acknowledged not many mail-in ballots had arrived as of Friday. Turnout was extremely low, as only 486 of Dos Palos’ 2,636 registered voters cast ballots – roughly 18.4 %. “We have most of the ballots at this point,” Levey told The Merced FOCUS.
Given that it was an “off-year” election, with no major national or state issues on the ballot, Levey said lower turnout was expected. “I am not wholly surprised by this – it was a one question election,” Levey said.
The March 4 election follows talks last year by Merced County leaders to close several fire stations. Two of those stations in the Dos Palos area – No. 75 and 76 – were slated to merge into a single unified station.
Today, both of those Dos Palos stations remain operational. County officials previously said even if Measure S passes in Dos Palos, it would still require $1.5 million to maintain minimum staffing levels at both stations. The county would bear the brunt of those costs if a cost-sharing agreement with Dos Palos is considered.
The funds from Measure S are reserved for fire department expenses only, including fire station upgrades, equipment and firefighter staffing costs. The sales tax increase is slated to begin July 1. It will continue indefinitely, and requires approval of Dos Palos voters to end.
Why do fire stations need additional support?
Discussions about the potential closure of several Merced County Fire/Cal Fire stations began nearly a year ago.
The county was looking to consolidate its fire services as a result of rising staffing costs to meet a state minimum requirement of two personnel on duty per station at all times.
County officials put a half-cent sales tax, Measure R, on the November ballot to support fire services, but it failed.
The county closed its McKee Road Station 85 in north Merced at the beginning of this year. Today that station is only used for equipment storage and some administrative purposes, according to Asst. Fire Chief Mark Pimentel of Merced County Fire Department/Cal Fire.
Merced County and the city of Merced entered a stop-gap agreement back in December to maintain adequate fire service in that area of north Merced.
In addition, the Merced County Board of Supervisors approved a cost-sharing agreement in December with the city of Livingston for $1.16 million to fund fire services at that city’s station through June 2026.
That will keep the Livingston fire station open while the city establishes its own fire service from Measure L, a 1% sales tax increase Livingston voters approved in November, projected to raise $2.3 million annually.
County introduces Elections Mobile Services Trailer
The March 4 election provided county officials an opportunity to debut its new Election Mobile Services Trailer.
Although the county obtained the trailer last year and was able to use it for training during the November election, the Dos Palos election was the first time it was used as a voting center.
The county stationed the trailer in Dos Palos, near the D.E.S. Hall, for 11 days prior to the election.
“It performed spectacularly, offering the voters of Dos Palos a safe, clean, well-lit, and powered location to cast a ballot,” Levey wrote in an email to The Merced FOCUS.
“In addition, by using the Mobile Services Trailer, the county was able to save money on a building rental, driving the cost of the election down for the city of Dos Palos while also allowing the building typically used as a vote center to be rented out for events and fundraisers throughout the election period.”
Levey said less than half of California’s 58 counties have similar election trailers. He said it will be particularly useful to help elections officials extend services to smaller communities in Merced County.
Elections officials may have another opportunity to use the Mobile Services Trailer in August when Los Banos voters cast ballots to fill a vacant council seat.