North Highline Fire District benefit-charge vote ahead August 5th: Presentation @ NHUAC
Heard about the “benefit charge” for the North Highline Fire District that’ll be on the August primary ballot? If not, here’s your primer, from last Thursday night’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting:
Lt. Ray Pettigrew stood in for Chief Mike Marrs, who he said couldn’t make it because of illness. With maps and a PowerPoint, he explained the money proposal, as well as some basics about the NHFD itself:
*Each station has 1 engine staffed with three firefighters at any given time, he said – sometimes a bit more because of volunteers.
*Vast majority of the job is going on aid calls
*278 false alarms – “almost one per day”
*42 hazmat calls
*526 “other” calls – illegal burns, barbecues mistaken for fires
About 12 calls a day between the two stations, so “they’re pretty busy.”
He says it’s a matter of financial need – “we’ve done everything we can to try to cut expenses
… we’ve used reserves … we’ve contracted to have Burien chief also be the North Highline chief,” but they’re about out of reserves if no new funding is found. In addition, he noted, the district has gotten smaller, with the 2010 Burien annexation, for example.
Proposition 1 on the August ballot needs a simple yes/no vote. If passed, it sets up a six-year run for the charge – with potential renewals thereafter. It’s not a tax, Pettigrew stressed, “it’s a fee,” and it’s charged based on factors such as square footage and whether a building has sprinklers or not.
For the average owner of a 2,000 square foot home worth $250,000, their tax/fee bill would go up $6/month, he said. It would only be charged for structures, not for empty land. Other districts with a “benefit charge” include Kent, Auburn, Woodinville, and Eastside Fire.
“It allows us to stabilize our funding so we’re not subject to property values going up and down, more ability to plan long range,” he said.
The NHFD commissioners voted at their April meeting to put it on the August ballot.
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June 17th, 2014 at 3:58 pm
Vote “NO”
June 23rd, 2014 at 8:17 pm
A well staffed, well trained, well equipped fire department is essential to the safety and well-being of a community. Without adequate staffing and safety equipment the lives of not only the residents and businesses of our community are at risk, but also the lives of our firefighters. If our fire district is forced to cut staff and forgo the purchase and upgrade of much needed equipment, we not only put ourselves in jeopardy but we will also will see a dramatic rise in our homeowners insurance.
The dedicated members of our North Highline Fire District have served our community well over the years. They risk their lives to keep us safe. The decision to vote for a Benefit Charge is up to us – the decision to keep our community safe is up to us. Please get all the facts and make a wise informed decision on this very important issue.
June 24th, 2014 at 2:14 am
Why would anyone be opposed to making King County contribute to emergency response for properties that are not taxed?
June 25th, 2014 at 12:13 pm
…do our hardworking firefighters also carry oxygen masks for pets?