King County Fire Districts 10 and 38 invite property owners in their service areas to attend a meeting to learn more about the districts’ proposed plan to combine into one fire authority. Both fire districts are part of Eastside Fire & Rescue, a regional partnership with three cities to provide fire and life safety services. Fire District 10 serves Carnation and the unincorporated areas of May Valley, Tiger Mountain, Mirrormont, and Preston. Fire District 38 serves the unincorporated areas around North Bend and Snoqualmie.
Both fire districts say working together as one fire authority would sustain emergency service levels for the areas they serve and strengthen the Eastside Fire & Rescue partnership. The planning committee, which includes elected fire commissioners from both districts, will hold three meetings to share information about the proposal:
Meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. on:
• Monday, Feb. 1, at Station 87, 500 Maloney Grove Ave. S.E., North Bend;
• Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Station 78, 20720 S.E. May Valley Rd., Issaquah;
• Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Station 85, 3600 Tolt Ave., Carnation.
At the Feb. 10 meeting, fire commissioners from both districts will vote on the resolution asking voters to form and fund the Eastside Fire Authority during the April 26 special election.
Costs continue to increase for the fire districts and revenue is unstable due to changing property values. Annexations by neighboring cities have reduced the revenue fire districts have to pay for stations, apparatus, equipment, and administrative functions. By combining, the two districts would share these fixed costs.
Under the new fire authority, most of the cost for emergency services would be funded through a fire levy of $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The remaining amount would be collected through a benefit charge.
, which is set through a public process each year.
Voters in 10 other Washington communities – including Fire District 10 – have approved a benefit charge because it is a more equitable and stable way to fund emergency services. Smaller structures (such as single-family homes) are charged less than larger buildings because it costs less to defend them in a fire. The charge is based on the size and use of a building as opposed to the value of an entire property, which can fluctuate.
Voters approve a benefit charge every six years, and locally-elected board members set the rate once a year through a public process. All property owners have the right to appeal their assessment.
The new fire authority’s benefit charge would be based on Fire District 10’s successful formula. Voters in Fire District 10 renewed their benefit charge in the last election with 79% of the vote. In 2016, the owner of a 2,500 square foot home with a two-car garage will pay approximately $370.
