Voters in the West Almanor Community Services District overwhelmingly passed a tax assessment in a special election May 8.

Out of a total of 210 ballots cast, 173 (82.38 percent) voted in favor of the measure, and 37 (17.62 percent) voted against it.

The measure aims to raise funds for the district, which also operates the West Almanor Fire District.

Since 1988 the community of Lake Almanor West has relied on special property tax assessments to help fund the West Almanor Community Services District (WACSD). A previous assessment, approved in 2001, provides the district with $90 per parcel. It is this assessment, in addition to revenue generated from property taxes, currently funding WACSD and the fire department. The 2001 assessment, however, is slated to sunset at the end of June.

In response to the looming expiration of the 2001 assessment, and the resulting potential loss of revenue to the district, the Lake Almanor West Volunteer Firefighters Association placed a new tax assessment on a special spring ballot.

This assessment, Measure A, was actually the second attempt at passing a replacement special property tax assessment. The first attempt failed to pass by two votes in November.

The first attempt, according to fire Chief Randy Fluke, did not have a sunset clause written into the language and asked for a $200 per parcel assessment, an increase of $110 over the 2001 assessment. The newly passed measure will require an assessment of $195 per parcel, a slight decrease from the first attempt. The latest measure also includes a seven-year sunset clause, which gives some flexibility to both the district and the property owners.

According to Fluke, the $105 increase from the original assessment is to make up the difference from the loss of funding caused by decreased property values in the development and the increase in costs to the fire department.