SAN MIGUEL FIRE LOOKING FOR OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District is bringing back its oversight committee that will review funds from Proposition E, a special parcel assessment tax passed by more than 70 percent of voters in the Bostonia and Crest areas of East County in 2007.

San Miguel Fire Chief Criss Brainard said the district’s governing board is looking for people to keep tabs on Prop. E, although he said that at the moment it is uncertain how many individuals will form the board or how often the board will meet.

Prop. E went before voters in a 2007 special election, and was proposed by East County Fire Protection District, which consolidated with San Miguel in 2008. The special benefit taxes go to fire suppression and emergency services for Crest and fire protection and emergency medical services for the Bostonia area, as well as paramedic and firefighter engines for both areas.

The annual taxes collected by the district include $250 per single family residential parcel, $250 per commercial or industrial site and $125 per agricultural site. The East County Fire Protection District area now under San Miguel’s auspices covers nearly 12 square miles, with about 15,000 residents. The district reported collecting about $1.9 million in Prop. E funds in 2019-20.

Brainard said that at some point during the years since its passage, the district’s established oversight committee was disbanded. A recent inquiry by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association found that the district was in violation of Prop. E and needed to re-establish the committee.

“Once the East County Fire Protection District consolidated with San Miguel, the citizen oversight committee decided they no longer had a purpose, as the San Miguel Board was already doing what they were charged with overseeing,” Brainard said.

The district was also told by the taxpayers group that to be in compliance with the measure, it had to put Prop. E monies into a separate account.

Brainard said that upon the group’s findings, San Miguel’s Board of Directors is now seeking interested citizens from San Miguel Fire District — or even potentially from outside of the area — for appointment to the board.

Those interested should visit the sanmiguelfire.org website to apply or send an email to info@sanmiguelfire.org.

San Miguel covers more than 50 square miles, serving the communities of Bostonia, Casa de Oro, Crest, Grossmont/mt. Helix, La Presa, Rancho San Diego, Spring Valley and the unincorporated areas of El Cajon and La Mesa.