PORT TOWNSEND ¬– Although the April levy lid lift elections solved some problems for East Jefferson Fire-Rescue and those its serves, debate within the city of Port Townsend about fire services is just beginning.
“After the vote, most people didn’t understand there are some decisions we need to make with regard to fire services,” said City Manager David Timmons.
Those decisions will be discussed in meetings today and Wednesday.
The city council will talk about fire service issues during a workshop at its regular meeting today at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at 540 Water St.
City, fire district agreement
It will discuss issues with the fire district in a joint meeting at the same place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Action may be taken then on an interlocal agreement for the joint operation and management of fire services between the city of Port Townsend and the fire district.
Preceding Wednesday’s meeting, the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue commissioners and the Joint Oversight Board will discuss city fire services at 4 p.m. at Station 1-6 at 701 Harrison St., Port Townsend.
Port Townsend contracts with the fire district for fire and emergency services.
Unlike other areas of East Jefferson County, it is not part of the fire district.
During the April 27 special election, voters approved tax increases to fund emergency medical services both within the city limit and outside it, in two separate measures.
Additionally, voters in the unincorporated area of the fire district also approved a tax increase for the fire district’s general fund.
Voters within the city of Port Townsend did not vote on a general fund measure.
In a 4-3 vote in March, the Port Townsend City Council elected not to place a general fund levy measure on the April 27 ballot, instead offering for voter approval only a measure for a tax increase for emergency medical services.
In March, the council discussed the possibility of the city being annexed into the fire district.
Since then, two other options have been discussed.
Three options
Timmons presented all three possibilities at a town hall meeting Thursday. They are:
• Keep the current structure, with voters within the city limit asked to approve a tax increase like the one just approved for the unincorporated area of the district.
• Annex the city into the fire district, an option that also requires voter approval, both inside the city and outside of it.
• Create a regional fire authority, or RFA, which requires approval by the Port Townsend City Council and the fire district board.
East Jefferson Fire Rescue Chief Gordon Pomeroy has no preference.
“We will partner with the city in whatever they decide,” he said. “But they need to take the lead.”
If voters are asked to approve annexation, separate measures would be offered in Port Townsend and in the unincorporated area of the fire district.
If the idea failed to earn a majority approval by voters in either jurisdiction, it would not be ratified.
The establishment of a regional fire authority would create a municipal corporation that would join with the fire district to provide regional fire protection.
Neither annexation nor a regional fire authority could be ratified prior to 2012, Timmon said.
Either would require the city to resolve a $620,000 shortfall.
Maintaining the current structure would require levy lift approval, but would compensate for the shortfall.
The goal of last week’s town meeting was to share information about the options with the public and get input about services, said Bill Beezley, fire district spokesman.
“We need to determine how we are going to partner with the city in the future,” he said.
He added that the fire district has its own communication challenges.
“A lot of people think that the Lawrence Street station is unmanned when in fact it is fully staffed at all times,” Beezley said.
After the meeting, Beezley said, “There needs to be a lot more public education about fire services and how they operate together”
The three measures voters approved in April are:
• The Port Townsend measure, which asked voters to approve restoring the city’s emergency medical service levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value in the city. The current rate is 28 cents per $1,000.
Two measures in the fire district area outside of Port Townsend.
• Proposition 1, which would restore the district’s emergency medical services levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The current rate is 32 cents per $1,000.
• Proposition 2, which would restore the fire district’s regular tax levy for fire services to $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. The current rate is 56 cents per $1,000.
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Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
