By Samuel Strait, Reporter at Large – July 8, 2021 July 12th is fast approaching and the Crescent Fire Protection District must chose between looking incredibly incompetent, not that they haven't already, or bow to the fact that they have badly mishandled their recent parcel tax election. Setting aside the notion that fraud and misinformation abound in the 2021 attempt to oil their way to success, the CFPD has grossly under estimated the uproar that will ensue should they certify the results of the current effort as successful. The district has already awoken the interest of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer's Association people from out of the area and will likely find serious local opposition to anything that remotely resembles success. While it may be painful to admit the need to back up and do things properly, this should be the only decision made on the 12th of July in the board meeting. There are a growing number of parcel owners who failed to receive ballots for starters. The choice of an off year election date and very poor information to the prospective voters is just the start of a long list of mistakes. On record as saying 7,000 plus ballots were mailed by one source and 5,000 plus ballots mailed by another. Complaints of voter intimidation and bullying by members of the fire fighter community. Unfair advantage both in weighted ballots and obligation to pay for owners of multiple resident properties, the $1,000 cap. Those same property owners which would likely obligate the CFPD to many more incident calls than single family parcel owners making weighted ballots irrelevant, one vote, one parcel being more equitable. Less than 20% approval rate for what is clearly a parcel tax. "No" votes exceeded "Yes" votes both times the parcel tax was placed before the voters. And the list goes on. The question looms, will the fire board do the right thing? Clearly by replacing an $18 assessment with something four times that is an over reach. Money directed nearly entirely at fire services when they represent a tiny fraction of the district's responses is irresponsible. A ten year plan that reflects reality as well as the costs that are necessary for a plan that actually mirrors what this community requires not some fire fighter's wet dream is in order. Dependence on consultants who are more concerned with "winning" rather than what is good for the community. These are a few of the items that need to be addressed in order to re establish some sort of trust with this community that has been severley damaged by the CFPD's action over the past year.