About a third of Madera County homeowners will receive a bill this summer for the state’s fire prevention fee, a charge implemented two years ago to help pay for fire prevention services within designated areas of forest, watershed and rangeland.
Homeowners will receive the bill, up to $150, from the Board of Equalization. The fee covers the last fiscal year, from July 1, 2012, to June 30 of this year. The BOE began mailing the bills alphabetically by county on July 19.
The fire prevention fee was implemented as a result of state Assembly Bill X1 29, which was signed into law July 7, 2011. The revenue generated from the fee pays for fire prevention services within 31 million acres of state responsibility area. Those who reside in the SRA are responsible for paying the fee.
Much of the mountainous regions of Madera County, including Raymond, O’Neals, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Bass Lake, and North Fork, are within the SRA...