Voters in Kent and King County Fire District 37 will decide in April whether to approve forming a regional fire authority. The new entity, if approved, would merge the Kent Fire Department with King County Fire District 37.
The Kent City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to send the proposal to voters on the April 27 ballot.
“This is a strategic opportunity to stabilize funding,” said Jim Schneider, fire chief of the Kent Fire Department and Fire District 37, prior to the Council vote. “We have confidence in the plan.”
Schneider said a regional fire authority would be able to levy a property tax as well as a new fire-benefit charge, to help provide more stable funding for new fire stations and additional firefighters, and to improve response times to medical and fire calls.
Councilwoman Jamie Danielson was in agreement about sending the proposal to voters, but added she had worries whether a regional fire authority makes sense.
“I have significant concerns about the plan,” Danielson said prior to the vote. “We are asking people to raise their taxes in one of the worse economic downturns. Despite my concerns, I’ll let the voters decide. But they need to have their eyes open.”
Councilman Tim Clark opposed the proposal.
Clark said he opposes the regional fire authority’s governing board composed of three Kent Council members and three Fire District 37 commissioners. He said it is not fair representation for Kent residents because so many more people live in the city of Kent compared to the fire district, which serves Covington and parts of unincorporated King County adjacent to Kent and Covington.
“It’s about how does a city of Kent resident benefit, when the authority doesn’t represent the people,” Clark said.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Albertson said she shared Clark’s concerns.
“The governing authority is not representative of the population,” Albertson said. “I will support the motion to send it to voters, but that needs to be looked at.”
Councilman Ron Harmon said a new revenue source has become necessary for fire departments because city funding sources are smaller due to diminished revenues and more city departments seeking funds.
“I encourage my fellow Council members to give the opportunity to voters to make a decision if they want to tax themselves under the regional fire authority plan,” Harmon said.
The measure would require 60 percent supermajority approval rate by voters because of the new fire-benefit fee that would be added to the tax picture.
If approved by voters, the regional fire authority would begin operations by July 1. Funding for the remainder of 2010 would still come from the city and fire district budgets.
Regional fire authorities aren’t new to the area.
Residents of Auburn, Algona and Pacific became the first in the state to form a such an entity, by voting overwhelmingly in favor of it in 2006. Seventy percent in that election came out in favor of it. The Valley Regional Fire Authority now provides medical and fire service to the three cities.
The regional fire authority, under a law passed by the Washington Legislature in 2004 and updated in 2006, can levy a property tax as well as a fire-benefit fee. The fire-benefit charge would be a variable rate, based on the square footage and the amount of service provided to each house or business.
Under such a fee, the owner of an 1,800-square foot house would pay less per year than the owner of a larger home. Owners of commercial properties and apartment complexes would pay higher fees because of the additional fire equipment, firefighters and volumes of calls needed to fight fires at those properties.
Currently, property owners in Fire District 37 pay $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. Property owners in Kent pay a property tax that goes into a general fund, with a cost of about $1.64 per $1,000 of assessed value for the fire department. The city property tax would be reduced if the regional fire authority is approved and the city no longer needs to fund a fire department.
An exact cost of taxes would be part of any proposal sent to voters for approval.
Initial estimates by fire officials in comparing property tax rates in 2010 to 2011 show the owner of a $240,000 house in Kent would pay about $148 more per year in 2011 under a regional fire authority because of the fire benefit fee. The owner of a similar house in Fire District 37 would pay about $28 more per year.
The city of Kent currently provides firefighters to Fire District 37 through a contract agreement that started in 1973. The district owns the fire equipment. Fire District 37 provides emergency services to Covington through a contract agreement.
If Kent and District 37 merge, budgets, capital facility plans, service contracts and maintenance costs can be more cost effective than under the contract agreement, fire officials said.
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