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Important
Downloads: (PDF Format) |
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On April 27 voters will
decide whether to annex the City of Lacey into Lacey Fire District No. 3.
This means adjusting the boundaries of the Fire District to include the City of
Lacey, providing voters a voice and a vote on the fire service
governance and services.
Please
take a moment and read through the information on the proposed annexation and
download the files from the Important Downloads menu to the right.
Remember to check back often as we will be adding information as it becomes
available. For questions, please email or call the District
Headquarters office at 360-491-2410.
A staff member will respond as
soon as possible to address any questions you may have.
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CITY/DISTRICT BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Since the Fire District
was formed in 1948, fire and emergency services have always been provided by
the District.
When the City
incorporated out of the District in 1966, fire and emergency services continued
to be provided by the District but through a contract with the City of Lacey
rather than direct payment of property taxes to the District by city residents.
In other words, a pass-through, with property taxes collected by the City and
used to pay the negotiated contract amount to the Fire District.
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CURRENT BOUNDARIES
MAP: Since the Fire District was formed in 1948, fire and emergency
services have always been provided by the District. When the City incorporated
out of the District in 1966, fire and emergency services continued to be
provided by the District but through a contract with the City of Lacey rather
than direct payment of property taxes to the District by city residents. In
other words, a pass-through, with property taxes collected by the City and used
to pay the negotiated contract amount to the Fire District.
The District delivers services from
five fire stations as depicted on this map. Four of the stations are staffed 24
hours daily; Fire Station 32 operates with volunteer responders. These stations
have been strategically located to provide the best possible coverage for the
entire area.
All apparatus from all
five stations cover for each other; for example if Engine 33 is out on a call
when another call comes in, an apparatus from Fire Station 31 or 34 will handle
their response.
INCIDENT
RESPONSE: Here is a graph of our annual volume of incident responses since
1996. As you can see, the calls for emergency service have increased
dramatically over the past 13 years.
Also shown is a percentage break-out of where those emergency
services are being requested. You can see that 15% of our responses are in
addition to emergency calls in the City and the Fire District. These include:
- Medic 2, Medic 3, and Medic
6 out-of-area responses (reimbursed through a contract with Thurston County
Medic One.)
- Mutual aid response to
neighboring departments (i.e. District 8, District 7, District 6, Olympia, and
Tumwater) in reciprocal agreements. Mutual aid is a two-way street and very
important to ensuring the best possible coverage for your emergency needs. The
mutual or automatic aid that we provide to our neighboring
fire districts
is returned by them when we are in need of resources beyond our
own.
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WHAT IS ANNEXATION? Annexation is a formal process that
allows boundaries to be adjusted. In this case, we are talking about adjusting
the boundaries of the Fire District to include the City of Lacey. Take another
look at the current boundaries map, annexation would essentially
combine both orange and green areas into one area for the purposes of fire and
emergency services.
WHY
ANNEXATION NOW? The Lacey City Council and the Board of Commissioners
of Fire District 3 have determined that the contractual relationship no longer
provides the most effective option for service. Having studied a range of
alternatives for providing these services, both entities are proposing
annexation as the most effective way for all citizens to have a voice and a
vote on Representation (Board of Fire Commissioners) and Funding (tax
levies).
WHAT WILL IT
COST? Residents of the district and the city will pay an equal
rate in 2011 estimated at $1.07 per thousand annually on the assessed value of
their property for Fire and Emergency Services. This rate is generally
lower than surrounding districts who are collecting up to $1.50 per thousand -
the maximum allowed by law.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT A NEW TAX. District residents have
always paid an assessed amount directly to the Fire District, and City
residents have always paid a virtual rate through the contractual relationship
between the City and the Fire District. Annexation will allow property tax to
be collected equally and distributed directly to the Fire District. (Read
more on page 8 of the Annexation Information PDF.)
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The
Lacey City Council and the Fire District 3 Board of Commissioners are proposing
annexation of the City of Lacey into Fire District 3.
- City residents will continue
to pay property taxes to the City for city services EXCEPT Fire and Emergency
Services; that portion of the property tax will go to the District.
- All residents of the newly
combined area will be assessed at the same tax rate.
- All residents will have the
opportunity to vote on issues affecting Fire District operations, funding and
representation.
In summary... If the voters
approve the annexation proposal, City residents would no longer have a
“pass-through” contractual relationship.
Both the City of Lacey and Fire District 3 have found
that with a contractual relationship it has become increasingly difficult to
keep pace with the changing service needs of the community for provision of
fire and emergency services. Having studied the issues and possible
alternatives, the City and the District are proposing annexation as a
relationship where everyone served will have a voice, a vote and will pay
equal property tax rates for fire and emergency
services.
It is very
important to note at this time that day-to-day emergency services will continue
as they have since 1948. When you have an emergency and call 9-1-1, the
same people, in the same trucks, from the same stations will be providing the
same service.
These are YOUR
Fire and Emergency Services. Please remember to vote on Tuesday, April 27,
2010.
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