After fire response fees recently failed to gain political support, the city of Eureka is now exploring the possibility of forming a fire assessment district to help its ailing fire department.

The Eureka City Council on Tuesday night will discuss the possible formation of an assessment district, which would add a per-unit fee on city parcels to fund fire services.

Eureka has projected a $4.35 million budget shortfall for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The Eureka Fire Department itself faces cuts in the coming year that may threaten to close down a fire station or prompt layoffs, Eureka Fire Chief Eric Smith has said.

Smith said other fire departments that have an assessment district collect about $18 or $20 per parcel unit. Some districts have had the assessment districts for more than 20 years.

”We are one of the only -- if not the only -- fire department in the county that does not have a fire assessment,” he said.

According to a staff report, an assessment would require an engineer's report to determine the cost per parcel. The report would also take into consideration what types of parcels would be subject to the assessment, how long the assessment would last, and how a protest and hearing process required for the assessment would look. The adoption of the assessment district requires Proposition 218 compliance.

The report would cost the city's general fund up to $50,000.

Smith said he hopes the community meetings and

At the last City Council meeting, a fire response fee -- which was estimated to garner at most $80,000 -- was not well-received by the public or the council. Smith said that even if those fees had been approved, the revenue generated would not have been enough to help the department's “crumbling infrastructure.”

”Based on what our financial need is, this is really much closer to a solution than the fire response fees were,” he said about the assessment district.

In other matters, the council will also vote on a resolution that asks the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office to prosecute people who assault Eureka Police Department officers to the fullest extent of the law.

Councilman Larry Glass said it was brought to his attention that several police officers were assaulted recently, and he hopes to let the district attorney know that the prosecution of those who allegedly attack police officers is a priority for the city.

”It just seems to me that we're asking our officers to go out there and face these people and use the minimal amount of force to do that. If we're going to ask them to do that, we have to back them up,” he said.

If You Go:

What: Eureka City Council meeting

Where: Council Chambers, Eureka City Hall, 531 K St.

When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Donna Tam can be reached at 441-0532 or dtam@times-standard.com.