OXNARD : Firefighters Endorse Utility Tax Increase

The Oxnard Firefighters Assn. has endorsed a ballot measure that would increase utility taxes by 5% in an effort to prevent personnel cuts in the Fire Department.

The endorsement for Measure C, which will appear on the June 5 ballot, follows a similar endorsement by the Oxnard Peace Officers Assn.

Unless voters approve the measure, which would add about $5 million annually to Oxnard’s coffers, the Oxnard City Council will consider cutting eight firefighting jobs and 27 positions in the Police Department.

Other departments face similar budget reductions as Oxnard tries to offset a $2.7-million deficit brought on primarily by several unexpected expenditures, including a $690,000 increase in the cost of the city’s workers’ compensation program.

The tax would cost the average household about $4 per month.