The MOFD Board, once again, voted to force Orinda taxpayers to subsidize service in Moraga by over $4 million a year rather than using their tax dollars to enhance the safety in Orinda.

 

At their May 21, 2025 meeting, two of Orinda’s representatives, Craig Jorgens and Steve Danziger, voted to maintain Moraga’s parcel tax at $80 per property rather than increase it to allow more Orinda taxes to be used for safety enhancements in Orinda, namely wildfire fuel reduction, rather than subsidizing Moraga’s expenses.  The third Orinda representative, Mike Roemer, ended up abstaining, not agreeing to maintain the current level of subsidy to Moraga.

 

Mr. Roemer started the discussion by stating: “In the past I was one of the most vocal and vociferous opponents of raising the Moraga Fire Flow Tax.  I'm wondering if I was wrong.  I'm wondering if, given that this is our only source of increasing revenue, if we should open to consider raising it."

 

Mr. Jorgens was the most vociferous proponent for continuing to undercharge Moraga, stating it would be “unfair” to increase Moraga’s parcel tax, even though Orinda property owners, Jorgen’s constituents, are paying 70% more per capita than Moraga property owners for equivalent service.  Simply increasing the tax to Moraga property owners by $320 would still leave his constituents paying 50% more than Moragans, but they would gain $2 million in increased service.  Jorgens, believing that it would be “unfair” to charge Moraga a higher parcel tax when everyone pays the same “base” one-percent property tax, failed to take into account:

 

• The fact that Orinda’s tax base is 70% higher than Moraga’s so the one-percent tax to Orindans is 70% greater than the one-percent tax to Moragans.

• While it is commendable for those with greater means to support those with less means, saving Moragans an additional $320 a year in parcel tax is not necessary considering the median household income in Moraga is over $200,000 a year and the average home is worth about $1.7 million.

 

Also at the same meeting, the board accepted, with minor revisions, the district’s Long Range Financial Forecast (LRFF).  This ten-year forecast assumes a conservative increase in property taxes of 3.5% per year (they have increased over 5% per year on average in the past) but it still projects that over the next ten years the district’s revenue will exceed expenses by $60 million, increasing the district’s reserves from $55 million to $115 million.  This is after spending $10 million to rebuild Moraga’s station 41, another $11 million for a training center (also in Moraga), and $4 million to remodel Orinda’s station 45, all paid for in cash.

 

What the LRFF does not show is where the money is coming from (Orinda vs. Moraga taxes) and where it is going to (services to Orinda vs. Moraga). 

 

When MOFD was formed, Orindans were told, by the City Council, that by forming this new district, and not relying on the county for emergency services, their tax dollars would be used exclusively in Orinda, not elsewhere in the county (including Moraga).  But MOFD never kept track of where its revenue was coming from or how the expenses were allocated.  

 

That analysis is “attached”.

 

The result is, over the next ten years Orinda taxpayers will be paying $90 million more than it costs MOFD to provide them service.  $30 million of that goes to subsidizing Moraga’s expenses (including its new $10 million fire station and its share of the $11 million training center).  The other $60 million goes to MOFD’s increased reserves, with Orinda funding 100% of those reserves (after funding 100% of the existing $55 million in reserves).

 

When is Orinda going to tell MOFD “enough is enough”?  When are Orinda’s elected representatives to the MOFD going to do what is best for Orinda as opposed to what is least expensive to Moraga.  It is obvious that Moraga cannot afford the service it is receiving, much less afford to build a new $10 million fire station and an $11 million training center for cash.

 

The attached analysis also includes ways that MOFD can increase Moraga’s taxes, reduce its expenses, and moderate the increased reserves so that finally, after failing to do so for the 28 years that MOFD has been in existence, Orinda’s taxes will be used for service in Orinda and Moraga’s taxes for service in Moraga

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