Vote ‘yes’ to protect fire, emergency service in Franklin, Walla Walla region | Opinion

Three local public safety districts have levy increases on the November ballot. Franklin County Public Hospital District 1, Franklin County Fire District 3 and Walla Walla County Fire District 5 make good cases for more money. We recommend voters approve their requests.

There’s been some recent sticker shock on property assessments. Higher assessments don’t mean more money for levy districts, though. When a levy initially passes, it sets an amount that the district will collect, called a “levy lid.” The levy lid equals the rate times the total value of all assessed properties at the time.

So, in a simple example, if District X sets a rate of 2 cents per $1,000 and the assessed values of all of the properties in the district add up to $100,000, then the levy lid will be $200.

Over time, the rate tends to go down because assessments go up and new houses are built but the levy lid changes little. This is called rate compression. If there’s a lot of growth underway, property owners can even end up paying less for a particular levy because the cost is spread out more. Yet those new houses also create more demand for services.

The critical thing to understand is that the levy lid limits how much a district collects. Year-to-year, a district can’t raise the lid by more than 1% unless voters agree. Such a slow rate of growth can’t keep up if the demand for services is increasing and expenses are going up faster than inflation.

Districts can try to make up funding shortfalls with grants and such, but that isn’t sustainable. Eventually they ask voters to authorize them to collect more money – to lift the levy lid. Then it’s up to the people who benefit from quicker response times and better-equipped fire and emergency medical teams to decide if they’re willing to pay.

Franklin County Public Hospital District 1: Yes

Public Hospital District 1 provides EMS response in the northwest part of Franklin County. The district hasn’t asked for a levy lid increase since 1970. It found other ways to pay for equipment. For example, it recently secured a grant to buy ambulances and medical equipment.

But call its volume is up 21% in two years, and that’s stretching responders thin in the Connell, Mesa and Basin City areas. Finding qualified volunteers is tough these days, so the district wants to hire two full-time people from a levy increase. Volunteers would continue to serve too. The additional revenue would also pay for overdue facility improvements.

The ask is to increase the rate to 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The rate had fallen to 18 cents. That’s a small price to pay for knowing emergency responders will be there when needed.

Franklin County Fire District 3: Yes

Fire District 3 provides both fire and EMS services in the southern portion of unincorporated Franklin County.

Voters in the district last approved a levy increase five years ago when they set the rate at $1.27 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Meanwhile the number of calls for service have jumped 49%. And when calls overlap, which happens nearly a third of the time, it takes longer to respond.

The district therefore is asking to lift the rate by 30 cents. That would pay for another full-time firefighter, seasonal wildland firefighters, equipment and renovations at one of the stations.

The district has been financially responsible and deserves the public’s trust that when it says it needs more money to meet demand, it really does.

Walla Walla County Fire District 5: Yes

Fire District 5 provides firefighting and EMS services in southwestern Walla Walla County by Burbank.

The district set a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value 30 years ago and has not asked for a levy lid lift until now.

The rate has compressed to $1.14, and it’s not generating enough revenue in a district where the number of calls has doubled in a decade and two-thirds of calls are for EMS. The district therefore is asking for a 24-cent increase to $1.38.

If approved, the additional money would fund up to four more firefighters, renovations at fire stations and replacement equipment. Those upgrades, district leaders say, will reduce response times.

After 30 years without an increase and with increased demand, lifting the levy lid makes sense.

This story was originally published October 8, 2023 at 5:00 AM.