QUILCENE — Quilcene Fire Department commissioners have approved a levy lid lift question for the Nov. 5 general election ballot on a 2-1 vote.
The dissenting commissioner said Monday that the property tax hike measure should be delayed to allow for more public input.
“I would like to see this run next November 2014,” fire district Commissioner Gary Phillips said.
“This should be discussed among the entire community.”
This year is too soon, he said, adding that the district can wait for the funds until 2015.
Commission Chairman Herb Beck disagreed.
“This needs to be done now. We are running in the negative,” Beck said.
“We have equipment that doesn’t function. Some of these tires are 18 years old, and if we wait any longer, we won’t see anything until 2015.”
The resolution, which was approved by Beck and Commissioner Debbie Randall, proposes raising the levy rate from the current 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.25 per $1,000.
It would raise property taxes by $100 annually for a home valued at $200,000.
The measure has been submitted to the Jefferson County auditor ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for placement on the November general election ballot, Beck said.
Kit Kittredge, a Quilcene resident who also works as an emergency medical technician, has called for a special meeting prior to the submission deadline, but Beck said that won’t occur unless an attorney determines the measure isn’t legally sound.
“I have our attorney looking at this now,” Beck said.
“If there’s a problem, we’ll call the special meeting. Otherwise, we are going ahead.”
Beck is the only one of the three commissioners to have been elected. Randall and Phillips were appointed after voters recalled Commissioners Dave Ward and Mike Whittaker in November 2012.
“With all the problems we’ve had, I think we should work to build a little trust in the community,” Phillips said.
Kittredge and Phillips said some at Monday’s meeting wanted more explanation.
“They just wanted to see a reasonable business plan,” Kittredge said. “Most of the people were supportive of the levy. They just wanted more information.”
Beck feels the time leading up to the November election offers the opportunity to provide the information.
“We have 10 weeks to explain this,” he said.
“This is something that we need to do. The rate hasn’t been raised since 1988.”
In a letter to the commissioners, Quilcene resident Linda Herzog asked for more specifics about how the money would be spent before putting the levy before voters.
“There is so much more work to do on these issues that I cannot imagine being adequately prepared to run this ballot issue in 2013, or even within the coming 12 months,” she wrote.
“A loss at the polls would not only be a bitter defeat for fire district officials and volunteers, but another serious blow to this community which is still reeling from the dramatic events of the past year,” she said.
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
