SEQUIM — Clallam County Fire District 3 leader will ask voters in the Aug. 5 primary election to restore the district’s regular tax levy to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value to support a majority of the district’s operational funds.
Fire Chief Justin Grider said voters approved the levy rate in 2018 and the district is looking to restore its levy rate. He said the funds will ensure the district sustains its service level while meeting growing demands.
Last year, the fire district responded to a record 9,000-plus calls for service, including an increase of more than 500 emergency calls over the previous 12 months.
The district’s current regular levy valuation is $1.11 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Fire district staff said increasing the levy amount by $0.39 would cost a homeowner with a home assessed at $470,000 about $15.28 more than what they pay now per month, or about $183.36 more each year.
If approved, collection would begin in 2026, and the maximum allowable levy in 2030 would serve as the base for subsequent levy limitations, according to the Clallam County Voter’s Guide.
Staff said funds would continue to support personnel, supplies, equipment, training, facilities and apparatus.
The fire district’s budget is about $14.5 million this year, with 71 percent funded through the regular levy, 23 percent from an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy, and the remainder from grants, timber tax revenues and other revenues.
Grider said they recognize all junior taxing districts ask for support, and that’s why they’ve opted to delay asking for renewing the EMS rate for now.
Last August, fire district staff said a consultant recommended not doing both at the same time. Grider added it could feel like too much for voters all at once.
Fire commissioners unanimously voted in August 2024 to go forward with a lid lift for the regular levy and to run an EMS levy lid lift renewal sometime in 2026.
Grider said the EMS levy is now about $0.39 per $1,000 of assessed property value, rather than its originally approved rate of $0.50 per $1,000.
The levy rate reduction is due to compression, he said, because state law caps property tax revenue growth to 1 percent per year, and that results in gradual degradation over the years.
‘Extreme growth’
As he looked at the challenges since the fire district last went to voters, Grider said everyone is seeing the same “extreme growth and costs” with fuel and products’ costs going up and tariff prices impacting costs for specific parts for apparatuses.
“The more things cost, the more has to come out of the Operation Fund,” he said.
If the levy lid lift doesn’t pass, Grider said the fire district would have to cut non-essential services, such as water rescues and technical rescues.
“While there are only a few of them, they’re expensive and risky and not fire-related,” he said.
Non-essential staffing levels could be reduced along with public education, such as smoke detector installation programs, Grider said.
“It’s not something we want to touch at all,” he said.
The fire district has 60 staff members, including 45 firefighters/paramedics/EMS technicians. There are three shifts with 15 firefighters per shift.
“We’re trying to cover every call we can,” Grider said.
“The men and women of District 3 want to get out there and help the people,” he said. “That’s not something you can teach. It’s an innate desire to serve.”
He said fire district staff are increasing efforts to better partner with neighboring fire districts and Olympic Ambulance for calls while increasing education through their new community paramedic, Mark Karjalainen.
“He’s taking some 911 calls off the table,” Grider said.
“We’re in month seven of that program, and we’re seeing an uptick in reduced calls in some areas, but the data is still so raw.
“We’re hoping to have a year’s worth of data to see what the impact has been.”
Staff anticipate receiving three new fire trucks this summer — two in August and one in September — that have been on order, totaling about $3.4 million, since September 2023.
The fire district put 50 percent down at the time of purchase and has saved to pay the remainder upon delivery. It also received grants to pay for three squad units and a brush engine.
However, Grider said costs of apparatuses, such as for an ambulance, are outpacing what fire districts can keep up with. He also said federal grants being on hold is restricting future budget projections.
“This levy restoration will help (the fire district) maintain and enhance the services our community expects and deserves,” he said. “It will allow us to invest in our personnel and resources, ensuring we are always prepared to respond quickly and effectively when needed.”
The fire district serves about a 142-square-mile area from Gardiner to Bagley Creek.
For more information about the district and its levy, visit ccfd3.org.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
