Question to both parties: Yes or no on Measure V, which aims to reduce Nevada county’s threat of wildfires and improve disaster readiness and evacuation safety? (Find those opposed to Measure V here.)
By Hardy Bullock and Kristin York
We support Measure V — the Wildfire Prevention, Emergency Services and Disaster Readiness Measure — because it’s needed to address our unique east county fuels and fire protection issues. It will enhance the lives of our community members, and it aims to solve the greatest threat we face today by protecting our town, homes, and way of life. Measure V is a half-cent general sales tax measure placed on the November ballot by the County of Nevada. The tax is countywide within the unincorporated boundaries of the county and the cities of Truckee, Nevada City, and Grass Valley alike.
We see Measure V as an opportunity to bring approximately $3 million annually to east county in a secure and equitable way. The Technical Advisory Committee for eastern county, comprised of local community members working in concert with the Truckee Fire Protection District and the Town of Truckee, will recommend the projects and programs to be funded to help solve our growing wildfire threat. With the additional $3 million, we will expand and enhance Measure T, accelerating progress to achieve our local protection needs. Measure V is a stable 10-year funding source to provide our east county region with a realistic chance of community protection.
An example of a project that needs Measure V funds is the Canyon Springs property. With new resources, we can create a fuel break, enhance open space, reduce erosion, and protect the Glenshire community. Other projects may include fuel breaks around the areas bordering Armstrong Tract, Olympic Heights, and Tahoe Donner, as well as areas near the town center boundary.
Local HOAs, nonprofits, and community partners may apply for Measure V funds and be granted vital resources to support projects that reduce fuels, improve evacuation, enhance emergency communications, and support low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
Measure V is founded upon the principle of regional equity. To meet this equity, the county has granted a memorandum of understanding to the Town of Truckee to dedicate 25% of the countywide revenue to eastern county, an area defined by the junction of highways 80 and 20 eastward through Truckee. We also recognize the responsibility to consider the needs of the entire county and each of the many independent and rural communities within its boundary. We are culturally diverse, geographically broad, and unique in many ways, but one rural community in our eyes.
The two of us have different overall statements that ground our support of Measure V. Hardy Bullock’s philosophy since taking office in January 2021 is simple: Enhance the quality of life of District 5 residents and residents of Nevada County as a whole. This means connecting local government regionally and nationally. This means forging partnerships countywide to support and build a one-county mentality — because wildfires and other disasters don’t recognize jurisdictional lines. We are in this together. As recent smoke from the Mosquito Fire proved to us, this is a regional issue in need of regional solutions.
Kristin York believes community prosperity is dependent on our ability to care for the ecosystem, residents, and the vital tourist economy. We see the devastating impacts of wildfire in Plumas, El Dorado, and Butte counties. It is difficult to recover economically and impossible to restore ecologically. A local source of funding would help mitigate our collective risk. We need a regional approach now, more than ever.
~ Vice President of Sierra Business Council, Kristin York leverages 25 years of experience in strategic planning, finance, operations, marketing, circular economy models, ESG, and entity transformation. Hardy Bullock, Nevada County’s 5th District supervisor and a lifelong resident of Nevada County, has been planning commissioner for both Truckee and Nevada County, and chairman of both the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District and the Truckee River Basin Water Group.
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