Spendy Sirens: Chief Mike Urquides is glad residents within the Carmel Valley Fire Protection District appreciate their premium emergency services: “If you want a Cadillac ambulance system, you have to pay more than the county." Nic Coury
The Ayes Have It
Carmel Valley ambulance tax, Alisal school recall take healthy leads.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
With 34 percent of precinct votes counted, Measure F is passing by a landslide, with 86 percent voting in favor of the Carmel Valley property tax and 14 percent opposing it. The measure, which supports continued ambulance service by the Carmel Valley Fire Protection District, needs two-thirds voter approval to pass.
“Looks great, and it’s pretty consistent to what the vote was last time in 1998,” says Fire Chief Mike Urquides, referring to a previous vote in which Carmel Valley residents approved a $75 per dwelling parcel tax to support the ambulance service. This year’s vote will bring the total ambulance-supporting fee to about $150 per household, which generates about $600,000 for the service.
Urquides says that’s enough to maintain the current billing structure, in which Carmel Valley residents and their guests are not responsible for ambulance fees beyond what their health insurance will pay.
“It’s a great comfort,” he says. “Obviously people are very happy with the service they’ve been getting and the four- to six-minute response time.”
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