Fire District 23's proposed tax for emergency medical services has received a resounding approval from voters in the district that serves an area of 67 square miles near Mount Rainier. In the primary election that ended Tuesday, the levy received 114 yes votes, or 70.8 percent of the votes that were case. To pass, the measure required 111 votes in support of it and a 60 percent favorable margin. The levy appears certain of passing. A total of 167 ballots had been returned as of Tuesday, and all but six were counted, according to the Pierce County elections department. Election officials said 21.2 percent of the registered voters in District 23 cast ballots. Voters are agreeing to a property levy of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation within the district. Tax collections from the levy, which will be in effect for six years, will pay for personnel, training, equipment and supplies, and vehicles to deal with emergency medical services (EMS). The proposal is in addition to the district's regular levy that covers maintenance and operational costs. The district answers about 260 emergency calls a year GÇô most of them medical-related GÇô in an area of approximately 2,500 residents that includes the communities of Ashford, Elbe and Alder and stretches to the border of Mount Rainier National Park. Twenty-four hour coverage is provided through four fire stations, 18 fire trucks and other vehicles, 23 volunteer firefighters and three paid staff members. District 23's last voter-approved levy specifically for EMS expired in 2014. The district's commissioners voted in April to put a new measure before voters in this year's primary and planned to run it again in the general election in November if it failed the first time.
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