Voters around the county will have three regional fire measures to consider on the Nov. 5 ballot.

In the consolidated, sprawling Central Fire District, voters with Measure R are asked to approve a massive bond of $221 million to raise more than $11 million annually.

Central Fire includes much of Mid-Santa Cruz County, including Live Oak, Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Rio Del Mar and La Selva Beach.

Measure R needs more than two-thirds of the vote to be adopted — unless voters statewide approve Proposition 5, which would apply to current measures and thus require more than 55% of the vote for the measure to pass.

Of the three measures, this is the only one where we reluctantly recommend a No vote.

Reluctantly, because we support our local fire agencies and realize our perilous times in terms of wildfires and other climate-related disasters.

But this ask is just too much, even for a district serving about 90,000 people that includes seven fire stations.

About 98% of the district’s budget comes from property taxes and the proposed tax hike would apply to property owners who would pay an estimated $29 per $100,000 of a property’s annual assessed value — but homeowners, according to the impartial analysis on the ballot, could in future years pay up to $49 per $100,000 of assessed value, depending on the total assessed value in the district, the annual payment on the bond and the amount of the bond still outstanding.

The funds raised would go to build or repair fire stations in Soquel, Capitola and La Selva Beach, buy land for new or relocated fire stations, purchase fire engines and other equipment and for a training facility for firefighters and other first responders.

Central Fire Chief Jason Nee told the Sentinel Editorial Board that the needs are immediate, as both the Capitola and Soquel stations are in a floodplain, and the La Selva, Capitola and Soquel stations are outmoded.

But the total of the bond is simply too much and would be another hit on already burdened taxpayers in an increasingly unaffordable county.

Yes, the Capitola and Soquel stations need replacing (though La Selva residents are concerned they will lose their station), but Central Fire needs to return with a much more reasonable measure that would include these costs and the cost of new equipment, minus the training facility and assorted other future expenditures. Because this measure is bloated, the Editorial Board unanimously recommends a No vote on Measure R.

Scotts Valley Measure S proposes the sale of $24.5 million in bonds for Scotts Valley Fire, that if passed (with the same voting margins as noted for Measure R) would mean property owners in the fire district would pay an average of $110 per year, or $17 per $100,000 of assessed property value, over about 30 years.

The bond money would help pay for a new, centrally located fire station on La Madrona Drive near the Hilton Hotel, to replace a decades-old facility on Erba Lane that would be unsafe in an earthquake. In November 2023, Scotts Valley Fire held a special election that would have approved a $22.24 million bond for a new station. The bond fell 12 votes short.

The Measure S bond seeks $24.5 million, but the property tax is about $10 lower per $100,000 of assessed value because more taxpayers were added to the fire district in December 2023 when Scotts Valley Fire merged with Branciforte Fire Protection District. Scotts Valley Fire serves at least 24,000 people.

The Editorial Board recommends a Yes vote on Measure S.

Measure T in the Zayante Fire District would replace an annual $75 parcel tax with a new tax from $50 to $290, depending on the property size and buildings on the land. The volunteer department serves an area of the Santa Cruz Mountains that includes Zayante, Lompico and parts of unincorporated Santa Clara County.

The parcel tax requires at least two-thirds voter approval. The district, which provides fire protection for about 4,200 residents and has three stations, hopes to use the funds to provide daily staffing and to replace and maintain equipment.

We also recommend a Yes vote on Measure T.