Levy or less service for Graham Fire

By Pat Jenkins

The Dispatch

Voters in the Graham Fire and Rescue district will be asked in the upcoming general election to approve a six-year levy that supporters say will make a difference in saving lives.

Not passing the levy could result in reduced service and slower responses to emergencies, according to district commissioners who placed the measure on the ballot.

Levy supporters note that Proposition 1 isn’t a new tax, but would continue an existing levy that covers the costs of personnel, training and equipment. They estimate the 2018 tax rate would be $1.38 per $1,000 of assessed valuation of property in the district. That would amount to an increase of $34.50 annually on a $300,000 home, for example.

The maximum tax rate allowed under state law is $1.50 per $1,000.

Graham serves a population of approximately 60,000 people in 90 square miles of unincorporated Pierce County, including all or parts of Graham, Kapowsin, Frederickson and South Hill. The district has six fire stations.

Voters have supported the district’s tax requests in recent years. In 2016, they approved a permanent levy for emergency medical services after previously passing one every few years. And in 2014, they passed a four-year, $11 million levy to hire more personnel and reverse cuts in service.

More of the same is the hope of supporters of the next levy request. Jay Sumerlin and Ed Hennings, members of a citizens’ pro-levy committee, said in an official statement written for the Pierce County voters pamphlet that approving Proposition 1 would continue “critical lifesaving“ efforts by the district and “maintain the exceptional service level our citizens have come to expect and deserve during times of need.”

In 2016, district firefighters and paramedics answered 6,545 calls for help. That was about 3 percent more than the total calls in 2015, continuing a steady increase that begain in 2011. Most of the calls annually are medical-related.

In their formal decision to place Proposition 1 on this year’s election ballot, the district commissioners noted that voters will have the choice of authorizing the necessary tax revenue to support fire protection and emergency medical services or not. The latter would result “in an inability to maintain current services and fast response times in a community where” the volume of 9-1-1 calls “has increased 25 percent since 2011,” the commissioners said.

Ballots for the general election will be mailed to voters by the county elections department on Oct. 20. Voting will end Nov. 7, the last day of the election.