Prosser Fire District 3 could reorganize if voters give OK
By Sara Schilling, Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
<p>Voters in the district, which covers 176 square miles in western
But he said a regional fire authority would bring "stable, ongoing" funding.
Proponents also said it would bring better governance, greater efficiency and improved service. The new organization would be called
The funding would change. About 60 percent of
The remaining 40 percent comes from the city's general fund, which includes money from city property and sales taxes, among other sources.
If the regional fire authority moves forward, the same fire property tax would be levied in the city and the rural area, at
For county residents, that would mean a relatively slight increase in their existing fire property tax -- amounting to about
In the city, it would be a new tax, but the state caps property taxes, and the city's property tax rate would have to drop by the amount of the regional fire authority rate, so the owner of a
The city also would realize some savings by moving to a regional fire authority, and the city council could consider reducing the city's property tax even further, officials said.
They also said fully implementing the regional fire authority plan should eventually drive down homeowners' insurance rates.
The new arrangement would mean dedicated money for equipment, apparatus and facility replacement, as well as training and certifying personnel in the largely volunteer department, officials said. There currently is no dedicated money for replacement and limited money for training and certification.
But that isn't optimal, leading to a "rob Peter to pay Paul scenario," he said, adding that having dedicated money for apparatus, equipment and facilities allows for implementing long-range plans.
"We're going to respond. We need to make sure we have the funding necessary to educate and train our (volunteers)," he said.
Moving to the new model also would streamline and simply governance, officials said.
Under the current partnership, a joint advisory board of three
But the joint board's authority is limited, officials said, noting that the three city council members alone can't make budget decisions for the city -- that takes action from the full council.
With the regional fire authority, a board with two members elected from the city, two from unincorporated county territory and one at-large position would be the governing body, with ultimate decision-making authority.
The proposition needs simple majority approval to pass. The fire authority would form next year, with board members elected in fall 2015 and the property tax collection starting in 2016.
The November election won't be the first time
The district has 24 volunteers and three paid staff, including the two captains and Chief
A citizens task force spent months on the issue and ultimately recommended moving to a regional fire authority.
"You want to make sure that your responsibilities are taken care of, that people are getting proper services and that we improve it over time," and moving to the model fulfills that, said
For more information or copies of the regional fire authority plan or other documents, call 509-786-3873 or go to www.prosserfd3.org.
-- Sara
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