Fire District 9 seeks voter approval of special levy

Officials in Fire District No. 9 in North Spokane County want to make the choice relatively simple for voters.

Round-the-clock fire and emergency medical services get funded through special maintenance and operation levies that require voter approval every two years. The levy pays for 56 full-time firefighters, paramedics and other professional staff.

The rest of the district’s operations – its volunteer fire service and other costs – are supported by a separate, state-authorized regular property tax collection, which does not need approval from district voters.

On Feb. 19, voters are being asked to approve a two-year special levy to raise $4.88 million in 2009 and $5.26 million in 2010 to replace the levy expiring at the end of this year and to continue 24-hour professional fire and EMS coverage from four stations spread across the sprawling district of 45,000 residents.

Fire Chief Bob Anderson puts the importance of the levy in the terms of a first responder: “It’s a critical life support function for us.”

The biennial ballot measure has become something of a referendum on how the district is managing its property owners’ money. Anderson said he and the district board have worked to be fiscally responsible and meet the challenge of protecting a growing suburban and rural area.

The fact that voters in District No. 9 have consistently supported special fire levies for more than 20 years may be an indication the district is meeting expectations.

“It forces us to have a pretty close relationship with our community and maintain their trust,” the chief said.

The proposal before voters would cost $1.28 for $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $128 for each $100,000 of property value. That is about the same as the collection rate for the previous levy.

In addition, the state-authorized regular collection is estimated at $1.01 per $1,000 next year. The district also collects 8.5 cents per $1,000 for paying off station construction in the 1990s.

The district’s fire commissioners over the years have made a conscious choice to keep the state-authorized regular tax collection about the same from year to year, while asking voters to approve modest increases in the special levy collection to cover increased costs for salaries, fuel and equipment.

Growth – both in new construction as well as escalating property values – means that the district’s collection rates are going down even while the revenue being raised is on the rise.

The combined collection rate is dropping from $2.62 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2006 to an estimated $2.29 in 2009 if the levy is approved.

At the same time, the budget is increasing about 5 percent a year from $8.81 million this year to an anticipated $8.96 million in 2009 and $9.42 million in 2010.

A strong commercial tax base helps fund district operations. The district’s total assessed value is expected to reach $3.6 billion by 2010, up from $2.3 billion in 2006.

The growth has allowed the district to improve services in recent years. Thanks in part to a five-year grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the district has added nine fire staffers so that the district can place a trained paramedic on each of its 24-hour engine companies. The addition began last year and replaces the previous deployment of a single paramedic vehicle for the entire district. While the grant was for five years, the district plans to continue the staffing permanently by absorbing the cost into its locally generated budget, Anderson.

The engine companies with paramedics operate out of Station No. 92 at Farwell Road west of Market Street; Station No. 91 near Mead High School; Station No. 94 on Bigelow Gulch Road; and Station No. 93 in the Nine Mile area. The district spans 16 miles east to west and encompasses 122 square miles.

Anderson said the district has implemented cost savings over the years, including consolidated countywide dispatching and cooperative arrangements with the city of Spokane. The levy is being sought in conjunction with the state’s presidential primaries to reduce the pro-rated cost of the election to the district as well as enhance the likelihood the number of ballots cast will meet a state threshold for minimum participation.