Fire district to ask West Richland voters for help keeping up with growth
The fire district covering West Richland will ask voters to approve a levy lid lift to help meet the rising demand for service.
Benton County Fire District 4 will put the measure on the Aug. 4 ballot, according to a news release from the district.
“Fire and EMS services are something we all depend on,” said Fire Chief Paul Carlyle. “This proposal is about maintaining reliable emergency response and making sure we have the staffing, equipment and training needed to serve the community as it continues to grow.”
Due to tax compression their levy rate has slipped from $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.31 since 2022.
They’re asking voters to approve restoring the levy to $1.50. The district estimates it would raise tax bills by about $66.50 a year on a home assessed at $350,000.
Levies are based on a total dollar amount and cannot be raised more than 1% without voter approval.
On a $3.7 million levy collection, that’s just $37,000. As new businesses and homes are added to a district, the levy collection spreads out. That leads to the levy rate dropping, but leaves the district unable to increase collections to pay for the new demand for services unless voter approve the change.
With the $0.19 in new collection the district will be able to hire six new firefighters, replace an aging fire engine, strengthen water rescue and do more fire and life safety prevention programming.
The district’s EMS calls now make up 69% of all calls for service.
The district covers 52 square miles of central Benton County, including the city of West Richland. There are currently 25,000 people living in their district, but with the rapid expansion of West Richland and plans for developing the former Lewis & Clark Ranch, that number is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades.
The district responded to 2,350 calls in 2025. On top of a growing need for service, costs also are higher.
Their cybersecurity upgrade costs increased 251%, parts and maintenance for emergency apparatus rose 220% and firefighter protective equipment increased 129%, according to the news release.
The district also saw a record number of fires related to fireworks last year.
Chief Carlyle plans to host meetings with the community this spring and Q&A sessions for the public in summer.
For more information, visit bcfd4.org/levy-info.
