Clark County Fire District 3 (CCFD3) residents will be asked to vote on a measure to raise the fire levy amount after the Board of Fire Commissioners passed a resolution to place a levy lid lift on the Aug. 6, 2024, primary election ballot during a meeting on Wednesday, April 10.
In 2017, voters approved a fire levy with a rate of $1.42 per $1,000 of assessed property value. After years of “levy erosion,” the amount collected has dropped to $1.16. The district is asking for a $0.34 increase to reset the levy to the maximum allowed — $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The lid lift would fund additional staffing at all five stations and pay for service improvements to keep up with higher call volumes and costs to provide emergency services, a news release by CCFD3 stated.
Call volumes have increased more than 25 percent in the last six years. Medical emergencies now account for 70 percent of all calls. Staffing levels have not kept up with the growing demand for emergency services, and the district is struggling to maintain the level and quality of services the community requires, according to a previous Reflector story.
Fire Chief Scott Sorenson said residents who attended recent coffee chats with him were generally supportive of the levy lift idea, but many wondered why the levy didn’t pass in last year’s election.
“In 2023, voters shuttered a 1% lid lift. That is now impacting service levels. On top of the foiled lid lift, two of the district’s 14 firefighter/paramedics left for other jobs; those positions are now unfunded,” a March 13 article in The Reflector stated.
Sorenson said previously, if a new levy passes, the funding collected would go only to Fire District 3 fire and emergency medical services. He stated, if the levy is approved, the district will be able to add staff over a six-year period, with the ultimate goal of three crew members per station across the district, except for station 35 in Battle Ground, which would have additional staff.
“We would have two three-person crews in that station because of the call volume and density in [Battle Ground],” Sorenson previously told The Reflector.
Costs to provide emergency services increase almost 6% each year, but the district is limited by state law to a mere 1% revenue increase per year.
If approved by voters, the lid lift will fund:
• 24-hour staffing at all five stations
• Additional paramedic certified firefighters to improve survival rates in the community
• The purchase of a new ambulance to be used when transport cannot be delayed
• Fire station improvements that are needed to maintain operational readiness
The fire levy lid lift would cost the owner of a $500,000 home an additional $14.17 per month or $170 per year, the release added.
