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July 2009
Fire District #43 Levy by Peter Rimbos, Corresponding Secretary
On Monday, July 13, the Greater Maple Valley Area Council held its regular monthly meeting. Our major topic for discussion was local Fire District #43. Your Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally elected advisory body to the King County Council representing all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District.
Fire District #43 Fire Commissioner Jeff Granlund and Fire Chief Tim Lemon provided details of operational needs of the fire district, along with rationale for any upcoming levies. Mr. Granlund is one of three Fire Commissioners for the district. The commissioners put policy in place throughout the district, as well as ensure proper management of the budget, which is monitored by the Fire Chief.
Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety (Fire District #43) was formed in 1952 and covers ~55 square miles. Approximately 80% of the calls the district receives are for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The district maintains six operations stations. A new station is planned for property recently acquired near the old Tahoma Middle School (near the intersection of SE 216th St & 244th Ave SE) to better serve the northeast corner of the district (e.g., Hobart and Lake Francis/Webster areas).
Commissioner Granlund reviewed the district’s operational needs, budget, and potential revenue streams. Approximately 90% of the budget is for personnel--currently understaffed by six heads. There is a Levy Lid of $1.50 per $1,000 Assessed Valuation (AV) with the current levy being $1.27 per $1,000 AV. With several recent levies being rejected by local voters the Fire Commissioners are looking at a variety of options to maintain standard levels of service to the district as property AVs decline.
According to Commissioner Granlund a “Benefit Service Charge (BSC),” currently used by five other fire districts in King County, is one option under consideration. BSC would be applied to individual properties based on a variety criteria including residence square footage, occupancy type, and critical fire protection resources such as distance from available water, etc. Such a BSC can only be collected in an amount up to 60% of the total operating budget. In times of reduced property AVs a BSC could prove more stable in providing the same level of service to the community.
Area Council members asked several questions regarding the potential effect on Rural Area residents who, in many cases, are far from available water sources. Commissioner Granlund replied that is simply one of nine or so criteria that would determine individual charges. Questions also were asked regarding what effect, if any, a BSC would have on existing levy levels, which are based only on the AV. He stated that the levy lid would be reduced from $1.50 to $1.00 of AV. More information of BSCs can be found on the State of Washington Codes page: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=52.18.
Both Commissioner Granlund and Chief Lemon emphasized the district’s fiscal responsibility and indicated that their operating budget has increased only ~4% per year for several years. More information on Fire District #43 can be found on the Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety web site: http://www.maplevalleyfire.org/.
Area Council Elections and Advisory Issues Survey In odd-numbered years, the Area Council conducts elections for half of its 16 members (members serve staggered 4-yr terms) and an Advisory Issues Survey to gauge area residents on topics of importance to the rural community. These surveys help the Area Council to understand the sentiments of Rural Area residents and to accurately convey them to local and state elected officials.
With King County now using an all-mail ballot the Area Council is looking into directly mailing ballots to local area registered voters. In the past local voters would fill out the Area Council Election Ballots and Survey at the polls (with some voters requesting mail ballots). A final decision will be made soon and detailed in upcoming Area Council articles.
Our Next Meeting Your Area Council meets on the first Monday of each month (except on legal holidays) at the Sheriff’s Precinct #3 Headquarters located at 231st St & SR-169 (across from Fire Station). Each meeting begins with a Public Comment period to provide local citizens with the opportunity to voice issues of concern to Area Council members and King County or State of Washington officials in attendance. Our next Regular Monthly Meeting will be held on Monday, August 3, 2009, at 7:00 PM.
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