Fire Levy

Fire Levy Lid Lift

We would like to thank the community for their support of our fire levy lid lift in the August 2 Primary Election. Because of your support, we will be able to hire three additional firefighters to improve response times and outcomes during fires or medical emergencies.

The funding allows us to keep both a medical unit and a fire engine in service 24 hours a day.

We’ll continue to share information with you here and report back as we implement these service improvements.

The fire levy rate of $1.50 per $1,000 assessed property value approved by voters in 2016 had since fallen to $1.36/$1,000. Voters returned the rate to $1.50, which takes effect January 1, 2023.

Thank you, again, for your support.

FIRE LEVY LID LIFT CONSIDERED

Daily operations at EFD are funded by a fire levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Growth and an aging population have caused call volumes to increase 39.2% since 2011. (Calls in 2021 increased 12.6% alone.) Overlapping calls are coming in almost 20% of the time, which takes a fire engine out of service when they happen. More calls mean added costs, and those costs are higher due to inflation. Revenue is not keeping up with the demand for and cost to provide service.

The fire levy rate falls as home values increase to limit a fire district to roughly the same amount of levy revenue per year plus new construction. For example, voters last approved a fire levy of $1.50/$1,000 in 2016, and it has fallen to $1.36 in 2022. EFD is asking voters to return the fire levy to $1.50, which would cost an owner of a $500,000 home an additional $5.83 a month ($70/year). Funding would be used to increase staffing from four to five firefighters per shift. This would guarantee both a three-person fire engine and a two-person medical aid unit in service 24-hours a day, which will improve safety for the public and its firefighters. It also will help maintain our insurance rating, which is linked to what you pay in homeowner insurance premiums.