PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council is calling for an April 27 election measure asking voters to reinstate the city’s emergency medical services levy through a levy lid lift.
The Port Townsend City Council is expected to schedule a special meeting next Monday to consider another resolution calling for placing a general levy increase on the same ballot.
The special meeting is necessary to meet the March 12 cutoff date for setting the April 27 vote with the Jefferson County Auditor’s elections division.
Council votes 7-0
“I would like us to move forward on the EMS levy tonight and hold in abeyance the other questions,” said Councilman Mark Welch on Monday night before the council voted 7-0 to call the election.
Should the council place both measures on the ballot, it would match the action of the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue fire district board, which will put both levy lid lift proposals before district voters. The East Jefferson Fire-Rescue board on Feb. 23 passed resolutions for the election measures, which would reinstate its emergency services levy to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation and fire levy to $1. Both would 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 proposals were discussed during a joint City Council-fire district board workshop Monday in the council chambers at City Hall.
If the council places a general levy lid lift on the ballot, and voters approve it, the measure would generate an about $652,068, increasing the current general levy rate of $1.88 per $1,000 of assessed value to $2.28, an increase of 40 cents.
If city voters approve the EMS levy lid lift, it would generate about $335,220, raising the current EMS rate of 28 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to 50 cents per $1,000.
The city and district are each seeking 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.
Fire district 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 for the fire levy, supporting the general fund budget.
This would add about 44 cents to the existing 56 cent levy, bringing the annual tax bill for a $300,000 home to about $300 a year.
Fire Chief Gordon Pomeroy and Councilwoman Laurie Medlicott told council members that most calls are for emergency medical services — about 92 percent compared to 8 percent for firefighting.
“With the growth of ages 65 and older, it’s only going to increase,” Pomeroy said of the demand for emergency services.
Aug. 17 election
Annexation of the city into East Jefferson Fire-Rescue is also proposed to be brought to the voters in an August election.
Fire Rescue district and city council members, as proposed, would call for an Aug. 17 election, asking voters to annex the city into the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue 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, this 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 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.
The fire district’s 2010 budget is $1.92 million for firefighting and $2.28 million for emergency medical services.
At least 60 percent of the budgets go to salaries.
Rich Stapf Jr., the fire district board’s chairman, recently said the district has dipped into its reserves by about $250,000 in the past two years because of the statewide Initiative 747, which restricts the district to an annual budget increase of 1 percent.
Calls for service are also up 5 percent a year, said Chief Gordon Pomeroy for East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.
Pomeroy said the district’s professional firefighters, which also serve Port Townsend, number 22 and he needs a contingent of 40 to meet growing demand.
The district has about 37 volunteer firefighters.
The fire department needs about 40 paid firefighters, Pomeroy said.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
