PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council is expected on Monday to consider a resolution calling for an April 27 election, asking voters to reinstate the city’s emergency medical services levy.
Annexation of the city of Port Townsend into the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue taxing district has also been proposed. That would be brought to the voters in an August election.
The East Jefferson Fire-Rescue board on Tuesday morning passed resolutions to ask voters in the unincorporated areas of the fire district to reinstate its emergency services levy to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation and its fire levy to $1 per $1,000 assessed valuation — both to go into effect in 2011.
The city does not have a fire levy to set, not being a part of the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue taxing district. The city of Port Townsend has a different taxing rate than unincorporated areas covered by the fire department. The city pays into the fire district.
The proposals were discussed during a joint City Council-fire district board workshop Monday in the council chambers at City Hall.
As proposed, the city and district election would each seek to reinstate the city’s emergency medical services levy at 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
Voters about nine years ago approved the 50 cent per $1,000 EMS levy.
Inside and outside district
As it is now, a city resident pays 27 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for emergency medical services and those in the district outside the city pay about 33 cents per $1,000.
Voter approval would increase the levy about 20 cents for emergency medical services and 43 cents for the district’s general fund budget.
It’s been 15 years since that the levy lid lift was set at $1 per assessed valuation for the fire levy, supporting the general fund budget.
This would add about 44 cents to the existing levy, bringing the annual tax bill for a $300,000 home to about $300 a year.
The district’s tax rates are 56 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for Jefferson County and 57 cents per $1,000 for the city.
“I think it’s important to state that we really took the most conservative approach we could take,” said Rich Stapf Jr., East Jefferson Fire District board chairman.
“We’re not asking for new levy rates, just asking to restore them.”
Stapf explained that for the past two years the district has had to dip into its reserves balance, using about $250,000.
“The cost of doing business is going up 3 to 5 percent a year, while we are held to a 1 percent budget increase under I-747,” Stapf said.
A 1-percent raise in property tax revenue is the most the district can levy due to Initiative 747, which was passed by state voters in 2001. It was sponosred by political activist Tim Eyman.
Calls for service are also up 5 percent a year, said Chief Gordon Pomeroy for East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.
“The bottom line is we have to put more boots on the ground and to keep up with the demand for service,” Pomeroy said.
Annexation
As proposed, fire district and City Council members also would also call for an Aug. 17 election to ask voters to annex the city into the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue taxing district.
Both city and district voters would have to approve the annexation for it to pass. The measure fails if either city voters or district voters reject the annexation.
Should voters approve the measure, it would add two city-elected positions to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue’s elected three-member board, which serves most of East Jefferson County from Chimacum north.
Separate fire districts serve Port Ludlow, Discovery Bay/Gardiner, Quilcene and Brinnon.
The fire district’s 2010 budget is $1.92 million for firefighting and $2.28 million for emergency medical services. He said 60 percent of the budgets go to salaries.
“We need a fire department with 40 firefighters,” Pomeroy told the joint meeting of the City Council and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue board.
He said the district’s full-time firefighters now number 22, down from 24 three years ago.
The district’s administration budget has been cut 46 percent as well, he said, adding that administrative staff was needed.
“That’s going to cost some dough,” Pomeroy told the elected leaders. “That’s the bottom line.”
City Manager David Timmons said if district wanted that taxation in place in 2011, the measures would have to go to a vote this year.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
