San Andreas, CA — In 2024, Calaveras voters approved a one-cent sales tax to better fund fire services in the county.
The Calaveras County Grand Jury did a deep dive into whether the funding is being properly spent by the 10 agencies that receive a share of the revenue. It was the first in a series of reports that will be released by the government watchdog over the coming months.
For the partial Fiscal Year 2024-25 that was analyzed, Measure A raised $4.3 million, far exceeding the initial estimates of $2.5 million. 69% of the revenue collected is evenly split between the 10 agencies, 1% goes solely to the San Andreas Fire Protection District (to cover protection of non-property-tax-paying infrastructure such as the government center, jail, courthouse, and hospital), and the remaining 30% is dispersed to the 10 agencies using a population-based formula (larger areas receive more money).
The Grand Jury found that all 10 agencies are properly using at least 70% of the revenue on staffing (no more than 30% can be used for equipment). The number of full-time firefighters increased from 48 to 101 by June 30, 2025. All 10 also submitted the required management and budget reports to show they are in compliance.
The only agency to receive a ding was the Altaville-Melones Fire Protection District for failing to have an independent audit performed since Fiscal Year 2020-21. The Grand Jury recommends that the district’s board of directors have an audit completed for Fiscal Year 2024-25 by the end of the current calendar year.
