Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
New Police, Fire Tax? Council Wants One More Week to Decide How to Pay for Fresno Growth
Edward Smith updated website photo 2024
By Edward Smith
Published 1 year ago on
September 28, 2023

Share

The Fresno City Council on Thursday delayed a decision to apply a tax to some new home buyers for police and fire services.

“We’re acquiescing to the county and saying ‘we give up, you win. You don’t have to negotiate with us because we’re going to tax people more rather than getting the appropriate share of property tax.’ “ — Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld

Councilmembers heard an appeal from Granville Homes president Darius Assemi to remove a tax designation called Community Facilities District 18 on a 71-lot subdivision of rental homes annexed in 2007.

Assemi is the publisher of GV Wire.

Had the CFD 18 designation passed, homeowners in those areas would have paid $164 more annually in property taxes in perpetuity. Apartment and rental builders would pick up the tab to the tune of $112 per unit, something builders said would filter down to higher rents.

For councilmembers, the decision to apply the tax goes beyond that tract of land in southeast Fresno.

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld said the decision to apply the CFD designation would only discourage negotiations with Fresno County on a new tax-sharing agreement.

Watch: The City Council Discussion

“We’re acquiescing to the county and saying ‘we give up, you win. You don’t have to negotiate with us because we’re going to tax people more rather than getting the appropriate share of property tax,’ ” Bredefeld said.

Councilmember Mike Karbassi asked whether that extra assessment would mean extra service.

“This is a general fund service that I think a supermajority of residents in the city don’t pay extra for and now we’re saying… you’re going to pay a lifetime fee or whatever you call for the same level of service,” Karbassi said.

City Manager Georgeanne White said the money would pay for patrols and other services in the areas farther away from the city center.

Assemi asked if people in CFD-18 areas would get faster response times.

“When someone calls 9-1-1, city manager, is there going to be a map that says this is CFD-18, faster service?” Assemi said.

White said it was geography based.

“Farther out, longer response time,” White said.

During the discussion, Karbassi gave direction to the city attorney to initiate the process to kill CFD 18 because it’s a double tax on select new development.

Mike Karbassi portrait

“Is it legally defensible for this council to dissolve the CFD 18? I’m going to request that your office draft that language.” — Councilmember Mike Karbassi, speaking to City Attorney Andrew Janz

Meanwhile, councilmember Miguel Arias said he didn’t want older neighborhoods subsidizing newer ones.

Karbassi said market-rate workforce housing often ends up subsidizing older neighborhoods.

The discussion around whether property taxes in newer parts of town generate enough revenue to pay for emergency services raised more questions than answers, said Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza.

The unanimous decision to wait came with a request for a more in-depth analysis of the cost of police and fire services on the city’s perimeter.

‘One of the Most Important’ Policies to Come from City Council: Chavez

While the decision on whether a special tax is needed in only certain areas is a very technical one, councilmember Luis Chavez said, it is “one of the most important.”

“This conversation that we’re having here today is very technical, very nerdy, I totally appreciate that. But I think it’s one of the most important policies that will come out of this body, because I think we’re going to send a message as to what development will look like in the city of Fresno,” Chavez said.

In December 2022, the council decided to apply the CFD-18 designation to all areas of land annexed into the city of Fresno after 2002.

A study from the city showed that homes in areas annexed from the county after 2002 did not generate enough revenue to pay for police and fire services.

After 2002, the tax-sharing agreement between the city and the county of Fresno changed from the county giving the city 50% of property taxes to 38% of property taxes. White said the terms changed to discourage urban sprawl.

To make up for the shortfall, the CFD-18 designation increases annual property taxes for homes and rental properties.

Karbassi said the amount of time spent discussing the appeal exceeded the amount of time spent when council originally applied the CFD-18 to new areas of the city.

And while it was a difficult decision to make, he said it should be the council that makes that decision instead of the city administration.

“I want to make sure we keep the policy debate on the dais,” Karbassi said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

DON'T MISS

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

DON'T MISS

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

DON'T MISS

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

DON'T MISS

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

DON'T MISS

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

DON'T MISS

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

DON'T MISS

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

DON'T MISS

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

DON'T MISS

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

UP NEXT

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

UP NEXT

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

UP NEXT

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

UP NEXT

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

UP NEXT

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

UP NEXT

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

UP NEXT

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

Edward Smith,
Multimedia Journalist
Edward Smith began reporting for GV Wire in May 2023. His reporting career began at Fresno City College, graduating with an associate degree in journalism. After leaving school he spent the next six years with The Business Journal, doing research for the publication as well as covering the restaurant industry. Soon after, he took on real estate and agriculture beats, winning multiple awards at the local, state and national level. You can contact Edward at 559-440-8372 or at Edward.Smith@gvwire.com.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

9 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

9 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

12 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

13 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

14 hours ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

2 days ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

2 days ago

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

2 days ago

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

2 days ago

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

2 days ago

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

TORONTO — A badly injured child is among eight people who were hurt Monday when a Delta Airlines plane flipped upon arrival at Toronto’s Pea...

5 hours ago

A Delta Air Lines plane heading from Minneapolis to Toronto crashed at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Monday Feb. 17, 2025. (Teresa Barbieri/The Canadian Press via AP)
5 hours ago

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

6 hours ago

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

Team United States fans cheer after their team defeated Canada in a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
9 hours ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, boards Air Force Two at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Harris might have traveled on Friday to Philadelphia or Milwaukee for the umpteenth time, but motivating tuned-out voters in battleground states required something different. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
9 hours ago

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

Downed trees cover the roadway toward South Jefferson Street from severe weather in downtown Tuscumbia, Ala., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.(Dan Busey/The TimesDaily via AP)
9 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

12 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

13 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

14 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend