Voters in Truckee will have to wait a little longer before deciding on a measure that would go toward local funding for wildfire prevention and mitigation.

Measure T, which was slated for an Aug. 31 special election, is now going to be placed on the Sept. 14 statewide recall election ballot.

Ballots for the election are scheduled to be sent out to voters the week of Aug. 16. Truckee Town Hall will have a 24-hour drop box for ballots. In-person voting will also be available closer to the election.

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“From a perspective of a district, typically, they want to put their local measures on a statewide ballot because it’s a little bit cheaper for them to do that,” said Assistant Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters Natalie Adona. “A lot of counties that have special districts are in the same situation.”

Senate Bill 152, passed last month, allows districts to consolidate special election ballots with state election ballots.

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“To avoid voter confusion caused by two elections within weeks of each other and voters receiving two separate ballots, the Truckee Fire Protection District Board passed a resolution at a special meeting on July 2 to consolidate the Measure T special election with the statewide election,” said Truckee Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Laura Brown in an email. “This also saved the district money in election costs, as consolidation will lower the cost of election services.”

Measure T would tax property owners within the district $179 per year — a move supporters say will remove fire fuels from the Truckee and Donner Summit communities. If approved by voters, funds would be used to remove dry brush, dead trees, and other fire hazards. Funds would also be allocated toward providing homeowners with easy and inexpensive disposal options for green waste.

The district serves approximately 120 square miles, including Truckee, Floriston, Hirschdale, Hobart Mills, Truckee Tahoe Airport, Martis Camp, Lahontan, Shaffer’s Mill, Sugar Bowl, Kingvale, Soda Springs, Norden, Big Bend, Cisco Grove and Serene Lakes.

The measure requires 66.7% approval from voters to pass, and would be in effect for eight years. An independent citizens’ oversight committee will be established to ensure funds are used appropriately. Work done within the Truckee Fire Protection District will also be based on priority and not on the amount of taxes collected in a given area.

For more information on Measure T visit http://www.truckeefire.org/wildfireprotectionmeasure.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643