The Community Services District in Templeton is asking some residents to pay more a month to keep their fire department fully staffed.
Templeton residents will be voting on Measure A next month, which is a parcel tax. $180 would be collected from property owners every year who are within the Templeton CSD boundary.
A meeting was held Monday night to better inform those in the community of the Measure. Ultimately, every property owner within the TCSD boundary would have to pay $15 a month in order to keep Templeton Fire fully staffed.
The TCSD says the money would go directly into a fund for fire department use only.
While only property owners will be paying, every registered voter within the TCSD Boundary can vote on the issue.
If the measure does not pass, the fire department says response times will be impacted and they will have to go to the county and tell them they will no longer be able to serve the town. They say the county will then likely decide to have CAL FIRE take over, with help from neighboring departments like Atascadero and Paso Robles.
“To know that myself and my grandkids are going to get a response if they have an emergency then it is worth every bit of that,” says Templeton resident Michael Nutt when asked if the extra payment is worth it.
A mail ballot will appear in Templeton mailboxes towards the end of July. That ballot is due by August 27.
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