So, Just What is Measure P?

Measure P is an increase of the annual fee paid by each property within the Cameron Park Airport District (CPAD) through their tax bill. Cameron Park Airport District is an airport special district formed in 1988 by a vote of the residents to manage the residential streets and airport through an elected board of five residents in order to protect and preserve this unique community. Each property in the District is charged an annual fee to maintain and operate the District.  All fees collected by Measure P go back to the District.

How Much?

From the current $300 a year per property to $1200, an increase of $75 per month. For the first time, $300 of this annual increase is dedicated to maintaining the residential streets. There is no escalation clause in the proposed measure.

Oh My!  Why?

This District is unable to properly maintain either the streets, airport infrastructure, or meet airport operational needs. Nothing is available for either unexpected costs or saving for future improvements with the current income. The present fee was established in 1988 and raised once in 1995 to the maximum amount established when the District was formed ($300 worth $167 today); no adjustments have been made in the intervening 25 years.

Costs everywhere continue to rise; some significant areas are;

1. The need to aggressively trim nearly a hundred trees in adjacent neighborhoods along with many in our  community to try and get the permit for night operations back ( it was suspended Dec 2018 as too many trees around the airport are too tall for safety)  

2. The increased cost of $6000 annually to maintain the AWOS (Automatic Weather Observation System installed two years ago).

3. Proper maintenance and eventual repairs of the residential streets cost more than the amount we receive from the county which resulted in the need for a $2M Bond measure in 2009 to do $1.28M in necessary repairs with an additional cost to us of $700,000 in interest and fees. This resulted in a bond fee of $900 per year unless property owners pay off their balance early. (Early payment can save property owners money in the long run by avoiding interest charges, contact the manager for details)

Some Drawbacks of Measure P

Measure P does increase out-of-pocket payments to the District from $300 per year to $1,200 per year.

Some Benefits of Measure P

Measure P is a critical first step to allow the District to be able to continue operations and begin to save money to improve the streets and the airport for the long term.

Having streets and the airport in good repair will make it an attractive place to live and enjoy and therefore maintain or increase our property values and reduce the need for expensive bonds or loans in the future. 

Keeping things in good repair will help bring us together with pride in this unique community and promote a positive image for greater enjoyment of what we have.

Text of Measure P that will be on the ballot

“Shall the measure increasing the Cameron Park Airport District annual special tax from $300 to $1,200 per parcel for an unlimited duration for airport maintenance, operations, and residential street maintenance, increasing current total annual revenue of $39,300 to $157,600 commencing fiscal year 2021/2022, be adopted?”

Where to Get Additional Information

The District’s financial committee study and a lot more details are found in the District website, cameronparkairport.com

Many people are available to answer any questions or hear your comments, please either email at comments@cameronparkairport.com or call 530-676-8316

Summary

Support of Measure P is a first step to allow the District to continue operations and be able to begin to improve the streets and the airport for the long term. It is very important to maintain this infrastructure and show the commitment by the residence to future buyers, to increase property values and preserve the unique community we have. All funds raised by MEASURE P return to and stay in the District.