In July, Felton Fire property owners voted for an assessment expected to raise $1.7 million annually. (Amaya Edwards — Catchlight/Santa Cruz Local)

FELTON >> Property owners within the Felton Fire Protection District on July 24 voted to approve an assessment to provide stable funding to the financially troubled district. Assessments are a type of voter-approved payment made by property owners to fund a specific government benefit, like road repair or fire protection.

Felton Fire was facing an uncertain future, with trouble keeping enough local volunteer firefighters to provide service. If the assessment failed, leaders said they would have considered dissolving the district and being absorbed by another fire agency.

The assessment, approved through a Proposition 218 process, is priced based on the type of property and its location. A typical single-family home in the Felton Fire District will be assessed about $700 annually. 

Of 1,181 ballots submitted, 825 were in favor of the assessment. Votes for the assessment were weighted based on the amount each property owner would pay. After votes were weighted, the assessment had 67.9% approval, well above the 50% weighted approval it needed to pass.

Change is rapidly coming to the small district, with new hires, new oversight and a competitive election for the Felton Fire Board of Directors.

Staffing up 

The assessment is expected to bring in nearly $1.7 million annually, with the first installment expected in November, Interim Fire Chief Isaac Blum said. District leaders are already moving forward with new hires promised during district leaders’ campaign for the assessment. 

The assessment allocates money for a full-time chief, three full-time fire captains and six full-time firefighters to ensure that crews responding to fires have at least three members. For years, the district has relied almost entirely on volunteers paid a stipend for each 12-hour shift, and responding crews sometimes have had two members.  

After interviewing a round of candidates for the chief position, the Felton Fire Board of Directors reported in a board meeting Aug. 10 that their top choice, former Monterey Fire Department Division Chief Stewart Roth, turned down an offer to lead the district because of his family’s difficulty with relocation. The board voted to re-open the position to new applicants who may be attracted by the stable funding provided by the newly approved assessment. 

Blum, the interim chief, said before the assessment election that he planned to vacate the chief role at the end of the summer. At Monday’s meeting, he said he would stay on through a second round of interviews for a permanent chief. Blum has said in an interview that although he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of leading Felton Fire full time, the move would represent a large pay cut from his current position at Nasa Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield.

One fire captain was hired before the assessment passed, and two more will be hired as soon as the district can find qualified candidates, he said.

Blum said he also plans to bring on volunteer firefighters to supplement the paid positions. Fifteen county residents, including four who live within Felton Fire, have applied as potential volunteers, he said.

A final draft of the district budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including the new positions, is set to be discussed at the next board meeting Sept. 14.

District oversight

The Prop. 218 assessment calls for a citizen panel to oversee spending, but it’s still unclear what shape the committee will take. The group could be legally independent of the fire district and completely self-governing. The board could also create a formal commission, which would be bound by the legal structure and transparency rules of the Brown Act. 

Board members decided to discuss the structure of the oversight committee at the Sept. 14 board meeting.

Board election

Three positions on the board of directors are up for grabs in the Nov. 3 general election, including two full-term seats and one short-term seat. The short-term seat, which would expire in 2028, is currently held by Craig Winters, who directors appointed to the position in July 2025. Winter is not running to finish out that term. 

Instead, Winters is challenging directors Norm Crandall and Jim Anderson, who are running for reelection for a four-year seat. Bill Finlayson is also running for one of the full-term seats. The top two vote-getters between Crandall, Anderson, Winters and Finlayson would win the two seats.

Rich Alter, a major advocate in the campaign for the 218 assessment, has filed alongside John Payne for the short-term seat.

The board sets the district budget, hires the chief and helps set policies for the district.

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