PORT ANGELES — East Jefferson Fire Rescue and the Brinnon Fire Department are hoping voters will send them Valentines on Tuesday by approving ballot measures that would raise the tax levy rates in each district and relieve the budget squeeze created by increasing costs, declining tax revenue and rising demand for services.
Election results will be posted after polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. No measures are on the Clallam County ballot for the special election.
EJFR Fire Chief Bret Black said that some people need to be convinced that the district is in financial distress.
“I hear, ‘Whenever I call 911, it seems like you guys are always there; your engines and ambulances look great,’” Black said. “You know, they do because our people take a lot of pride in their work and because we have an exceptional workforce of volunteers and career firefighters.”
But appearances hide a big problem.
“We make antiquated engines and ambulances look better than they are and we’ve spent more to keep two ambulances on the road over the past couple of years than it would have cost to have bought new ones.”
Brinnon Fire Chief Tim Manly said the district operates “paycheck to paycheck to keep the lights on and the tires rolling.”
EJFR (into which Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue merged on Jan. 1) and Brinnon both have experienced skyrocketing call volumes they say have significantly stressed their personnel and budgets.
EJFR’s 911 calls have risen more than 50 percent since its last levy lid lift in 2010 and it experiences multiple simultaneous emergency calls about 30 percent of the time. Brinnon’s calls jumped from 263 in 2013 to 604 in 2021 — a 132 percent increase.
This is happening as the districts’ revenue from levies shrinks, which is why they are seeking voter approval for ballot measures in Jefferson County’s Feb. 14 special election.
If the measures pass, the combined general fire and EMS taxes in EJFR Fire District 1 would increase from $1.21 to $1.50 per $1,000 assessed property value and those in Brinnon Fire District 4 would increase from $1.30 to $2 per assessed $1,000 property value.
Washington State limits the amount individual taxing districts can increase the total levy amount collected from the current assessed valuation of property to 1 percent annually (plus new construction). A taxing district can exceed the “101 percent levy limit” by seeking voter approval.
It’s the 1 percent cap that keeps EJFR and Brinnon (as well as other fire districts) at about the same amount of revenue year after year and struggling to purchase new equipment, hire personnel and continue to provide the emergency services.
“Ten years ago when that money was okay, we had half the amount of calls,” Black said. “Now our calls have increased, but we’re only going up 1 percent each year. You’re behind before you start.”
Add inflation to the mix and districts fall further and further behind.
Manly said Brinnon had originally planned to request a levy lid lift in 2024 when it updated its strategic plan, but when it looked at the numbers decided to go to voters in 2023 instead.
“With 9 percent inflation we had to do it this year,” Manly said.
There is a belief, Black said, that Jefferson County’s rising property values will mean rising levy rates. However, levy rates actually fall when property values rise in order to keep tax revenues under the 1 percent limit.
Approving Resolution No. 22-12 would increase EJFR’s fire tax from 85 cents to $1.30 per $1,000 assessed property value (an approximately 53 percent increase) and approving Resolution No. 22-13 would raise its EMS tax from 36 cents to 50 cents per $1,000 assessed property value (an approximately 39 percent increase).
The Brinnon Fire Department’s Resolution No. 2022-10 asks voters to approve or reject an increase its general fire tax from 94 cents to 1.50 per $1,000 assessed property value (an approximately 60 percent increase) and Resolution No. 22-11 asks them to approve or reject an increase its EMS tax from 36 cents to 50 cents per $1,000 assessed property value (an approximately 39 percent increase).
Black and Manly said they need both the general fire and EMS levies too pass. It would be a mistake, Black said, for voters to approve just the EMS levy because it is smaller than the fire levy.
“We can transfer money from fire to EMT (emergency medical technician), and we do it all the time, but we can’t go the other way,” Black said. “That’s not our policy, that’s the law.”
Black said that among the solutions he has heard was to recruit more volunteers to take on administrative tasks, firefighting and other roles.
“We love our volunteers,” Black said. “They are integral to what we do.”
However, he said, increasing the number of volunteers will not solve EJFR’s financial challenge that includes years of deficit spending, delayed maintenance on aging equipment and buildings and postponement of mandatory training.
If voters approve the EJFR and Brinnon ballot measures, Jefferson County would begin collecting those taxes in April for distribution in 2024 — which would still leave the districts struggling this year.
“If there is good news, we’re still in the same fiscal situation for the time being and the budget committee is really going to take that into account,” Black said.
If not?
“We’ll have to sit down to see what more can be cut. I thought we had cut to the max when we did this year’s budget. It’s going to be hard to find where to cut more.”
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Paula Hunt can be reached at 360-425-2345, ext. 50583, or by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
[BREAKOUT]
Assessed Value x Levy Rate ÷ 1,000 = Estimated Levy Tax
Example for a home in EJFD in 2022 under existing levy:
Average home value: $475,514
General fire tax (.85): $402.58
EMS tax: (.36): $171.25
Total tax paid in 2022: $573.83
A home in EJFD in 2023 if the levy lid lift passes:
Average home value; $499,290
General fire tax ($1.30): $649.08
EMS tax: (.50): $249.64
Total tax paid in 2023 if levy lid lift passes: $898.72
A home in EJFD in 2023 if the levy lid lift doesn’t pass:
Average home value; $499,290
General fire tax (.85): $424.40
EMS tax: (.36): $179.74
Total tax paid in 2023 if levy lid lift passes: $604.14
A home in the Brinnon Fire Department in 2022 under existing levy:
Average home value; $316,129
General fire tax (.94): $298.22
EMS tax: (.36): $115.38
Total tax paid in 2022: $413.60
A home in the Brinnon Fire Department in 2023 if levy lid lift passes:
Average home value; $331,935
General fire tax (1.50): $497.90
EMS tax: (.50): $165.97
Total tax paid in 2023: $663.87
A home in the Brinnon Fire Department in 2023 if levy lid lift doesn’t pass:
Average home value; $331,935
General fire tax (.94): $312.02
EMS tax: (.36): $119.50
Total tax paid in 2023: $431.52
