MCKINLEYVILLE, CA – The Arcata Fire Protection District has placed a ballot measure on the upcoming 2024 General Election. The District would like to take this opportunity to explain the purpose of Measure M.

Measure M is a proposal from the Board of Directors of the Arcata Fire Protection District to allow for an increase of the District’s annual appropriations limit to the extent that the revenues received from the District’s existing special tax exceed the appropriations limit for any particular year.

Measure M is not a new tax, does not extend any existing tax, and does not raise tax rates.

Measure M is made necessary by Proposition 4, adopted in 1979, which added Article XIIIB to the California Constitution. The article limits the amount of money a local government can appropriate in each year. The cap is then adjusted annually for cost of living and population growth. When a government implements a new tax, as the Arcata Fire District did in 2020 with Measure F, the limit often needs to be raised in order for the government to appropriate (utilize) the new money generated from the voter approved 2020 special tax.

The Constitution allows the government to raise this limit with voter approval for a maximum of four years at a time. In 2020, Measure F raised the limit for four years. If the voters approve Measure M, the appropriations limit would be increased for four more years. This allows the District to spend the full value of the funds generated as was intended by the voters in 2020. Measure M requires a simple majority to pass.

If you have any questions, please contact the Arcata Fire District at 707-825-2000.