DEER PARK, Wash. – Spokane County Fire District 4 plans to place a levy lid lift on the ballot in August. If approved, the lift will allow the district to hire more emergency responders and replace a fire engine.
According to the fire district, the Board of Fire Commissioners passed a resolution this week to bring the levy lid lift to voters.
The district says that emergency calls have increased by 24 % in the past three years and that current revenues fail to cover the additional responses.
In addition to hiring more emergency response and firefighting staff and replacing an engine, the levy lid lift would also fund the replacement of three vehicles used for wildfires and rural rescues.
The Green Bluff fire station would also be remodeled to prepare for wildfire season according to the district.
The district emphasized the importance of maintaining levy rates.
“In 2021, voters approved a fire levy rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Since then, the rate has eroded to $1.16. The fire district is asking voters for a lid lift of $0.34 to restore the fire levy rate to $1.50,” the district said.
If levy rates continue to erode in the coming years, Fire Chief Bill Neckels says it could impose additional challenges on firefighters and emergency responders.
“One of the challenges that we don’t have a way to measure at this point is as the levy continues to erode, the impact starts to be greater,” Neckels said.
The fire district has a website offering information on how levy lid lift funding would be used if approved by voters on August 6.
