Rock Creek Fire District Trying Levy Boost Again

May 06--KIMBERLY -- The Rock Creek Rural Fire Protection District is again trying to get voters to approve an increase in the district's tax levy that, district officials said, are needed to hire more firefighters to keep up with the growing number of calls and homes in the district.

The levy would increase from .00115 to .002, which works out to another $5 per month on a $150,000 home, the district said in a letter sent out to residents of the fire district, which spans from North 3300 East, just east of Chobani, to North 5000 East, between Murtaugh and Milner, and from the Snake River to Magic Mountain north to south.

Why are they seeking the extra money, which works out to about $512,000 a year?

"Our call volume's going up, our volunteer pool's going down," firefighter Taylor Hunsaker said.

The measure needs two-thirds of the vote to pass, and a proposal to boost the levy to .002 failed 611-634 in November.

Hunsaker said the fire district's call volume has been going up by 70 to 100 calls a year, as the economy grows in the city of Twin Falls and more people, drawn by the jobs, buy homes in smaller communities to the east. There were almost 800 calls in 2015, and they expect to hit 900 this year. The levy, he said, has been the same since the district was formed in 1992. Idaho caps fire district levies at .0024.

Currently, Hunsaker said, there are four full-time firefighters/EMTs plus the chief and 22 volunteers, of whom, he said, maybe 10 or 12 are active. Hunsaker said the goal is to first hire a few more firefighters to staff the Kimberly station, then to staff the Rock Creek station full-time in four or five years. Over time, the plan is to hire 21 firefighters total, which would let them cover the district full-time in three shifts.

The Insurance Services Office could decide to adjust the district's rating, potentially lowering insurance premiums for homeowners.

Hunsaker stressed that he can't be certain people's insurance would drop, were the levy to pass.

"It's completely up to the insurance company," he said.

But, he said, there is a chance the ISO rating could drop a point, and savings from a decrease could be more than what people would pay in increased taxes. The rating for people who live in the city limits of Kimberly, Hansen and Murtaugh is 4 on a 1-10 scale. Homes more than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant and outside city limits, the rating is 8.

___

(c)2016 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)

Visit The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) at magicvalley.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.