Protect Santee’s Half-Cent Sales Tax Qualifies for November Ballot as ‘Measure S’

After receiving over 6,000 signatures from firefighters and other community members, the Protect Santee Initiative has qualified for the November ballot as Measure S, a half-cent sales tax to support the Santee Fire Department.

According to data from the International Association of Firefighters in 2021, Santee faces an increasingly high safety risk due to a lack of resources for emergency services. Beyond the safety risk, a lack of emergency resources can cause insurance companies to increase rates or even refuse coverage, home values can be compromised, and those who depend on emergency services, like the elderly, may leave the area.

With only 17 on-call firefighters and two outdated fire stations, response times have extended beyond the crucial 4-minute National Fire Safety Response Standard. Measure S is an initiative to help increase resources and shorten response times.

“With the resources we have, our response times are nearly double in many parts of Santee. Lives are literally at stake,” Santee Fire Captain Patrick Henry said.

The Santee Firefighters Association and supporters proposed a half-cent sales tax

over 15 years to fund two new fire stations, repair damage to an existing fire station, and increase firefighter personnel. The tax will allow the fire department to better serve the Santee community without increasing income or property tax hikes.

“Over the next 20 years, our fire department will be tasked with responding to up to 30,000

additional incidents per year,” said Henry. “We’re already substantially under-resourced and, although the population of Santee is likely to grow another 50%, there are no additional resources for our fire department to grow along with it. The Protect Santee initiative will help us protect all of Santee.”

Tony Romero, volunteer captain of Protect Santee, thanked community members who helped the measure qualify for the ballot.

“I want to thank every single donor, volunteer, and Santee resident who has helped our team of Santee firefighters get over the first big hurdle,” he said. “The support we’ve received from Santee residents has been incredible!”