Fire Withdraws Levy Lid Lift Vote This Year

Enumclaw/Fire District No. 28 will not be seeking a levy lid lift in this coming April election, Fire Chief Joe Clow told Patch Monday.

It's a reversal from what was first reported in The Courier-Herald last December that the district would be seeking an increase in its taxing capacity from $1.09 per $1,000 of assessed value (which is what it is in this, its first year) to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value -- the district's maximum cap. (Read that story.)

In a prepared statement, Clow indicated the decision was influenced by several factors. District leaders have been meeting with various members of the community on several issues related to the department, he said. He referenced an article in Sunday's Seattle Times about the vast effect of foreclosures on local communities as well as news from County Assessor Lloyd Hara on "the ."

Clow continued, "All of this has lead the members of your fire department to the conclusion that now is not the time to ask our community and customers to support a tax levy issue."

Since December, several vocal community members have been upset about the news that the district would be looking to collect higher taxes and have scrutinized the financial management of the department and its commissioners. Speculation over the district's spending have prompted several letters to the editor to The Courier-Herald. A sampling include these from former City Councilman Rich Elfers (Letter 1|Letter 2) and local businessman Mike Qualls (Letter 1|Letter 2).

Clow said he realized when he submitted an update of department news in The Courier-Herald last year that it would likely draw questions and comments from the community. The update included a 'wish list' for the department of equipment, personnel and other improvements that the leadership would like to implement in the long-run, Clow said. 

And because it was a wish list, the decision not to put a levy lid lift question to voters this year will not adversely affect short-term department operations, he said. 

Replacement schedules for routine equipment like fire gear, radios and breathing apparatuses will have to shift, he said. "Items that were due to be replaced over a five-year period may have to be extended to seven or eight years. This does not mean that firefighter safety has to be compromised at any time during this process."

What falls to a lower priority is planning for large capital expenditures like a replacement fire truck or adding staff. The department has already improved emergency service levels with an additional aid unit and better staffing for shifts, Clow said. It used to be two firefighters per shift and that's increased to five per shift. Additionally, the Cumberland station now has five resident volunteers who live on site to respond to calls whereas there used to be none. To that, Clow said in his statement, "...the Board of Fire Commissioners feel that now is a good time to slow the process and to evaluate how effective these changes are instead of continuing on to the next phase of development."

In effect "...we, the members of the fire department also live, work, play, shop and pay taxes in this community; our children attend Enumclaw schools, and we understand the difficulty of these uncertain financial times."

Editor's Note: In the next few days, Patch will be looking at some of the district's expenditures in the past year. Check back with us as we continue to follow this story.