Fire District 8 seeks levy lid lift

Tuesday is the deadline to mail in your ballot if you live in Spokane County Fire Districts 8 or 10.

The districts are asking voters to lift the levy lids imposed by a citizen initiative to give them more money to outfit volunteer firefighters with regulation equipment, and to help them keep pace with rising costs due to inflation.

Fire District 10 wants to restore the regular levy. If approved, taxpayers would pay $19 more for every $100,000 of assessed property value.

The district covers 99 square miles west of Spokane. There are 9,700 residents in the district, but since it encompasses Interstate 90 and the Spokane International Airport, an additional 35,000 to 40,000 people pass through the district daily.

Fire District 10 also serves as the backup to Fairchild Air Force Base and the airport.

Fire District 8 wants to restore the emergency medical services levy. If the voters approve the lid lift, the measure would cost taxpayers $13 more a year for every $100,000 of assessed property value.

This district covers 110 square miles south of Spokane, Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake and serves 23,000 residents from stations in Valleyford, Moran Prairie, Ponderosa and Saltese.

In 2000, voters approved a permanent rate of 50 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value for emergency medical services and in 1985, voters agreed to $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value for regular fire district levies.

Initiative 747 limited increases in property taxes to 1 percent a year, so now fire districts must seek voter approval to get more money. Currently, the district levies are at 37 cents for EMS levies and $1.31 for regular levies.

The levies need 60 percent ‘yes’ votes to pass.