| 2008 Budget
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 See the current budget for your Fire District.
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In the past three years,
our budget has increased by 12 percent while our expenses have increased by
nearly 20 percent. Rising fuel costs - up 165 percent since 2004 - have also
added to this budget shortfall. That's why our board of commissioners approved
a ballot measure for the August primary election, allowing voters to restore
the levy rate to the current amount allowed.
Below are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions we've
received about the upcoming ballot measure. |
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Q: Why do you need a
levy lid lift?
A:
Fire districts are almost entirely dependent on property taxes to pay
their expenses. In 2001, voters approved an initiative that limits annual
increases in property taxes levied by public agencies to one percent, or what's
called a "levy lid." For Lacey Fire District #3, service calls have continued
to increase - up by nearly 7 percent in 2007 alone - as more people and more
businesses move to our area. Expenses for fuel, salaries and benefits for our
staff and other operational expenses have grown by nearly 20 percent in the
last three years, while our revenues have only increased by 12 percent. This
trend, or revenue gap, is projected to continue. The current property tax levy
will not cover the increasing costs of providing fire, medical and rescue
services.
Q: If the lid lift
is successful, what will you do with the increased revenue?
A: A: The
majority of the money will be used to maintain existing fire fighter-emergency
medical technician (EMTs) staff and to add staff where growth and call volume
dictate. We also will use this funding to maintain our fleet of fire trucks and
aid units and keep our staff training up-to-date.
Q: How much is the levy going to cost?
A: The ballot
proposal calls for $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, or a $115 annual
increase on a home assessed at $250,000. The District's current tax levy is
$1.04 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Q. Doesn't the City of Lacey also get services from Lacey Fire
District #3?
A:
Lacey Fire District #3 contracts with the City of Lacey to provide
services to homes and businesses within the City limits. That contract fee in
2008 is $3,755,468 million and is expected to be adjusted up by 6.5 percent in
2009. The District is also asking the City of Lacey to pay its fair share of
the increasing costs of providing fire, medical and rescue services.
Q: Is the City of Lacey
increasing its fees to the District?
A: We are now discussing with the City of
Lacey an increase in fees to cover our additional costs to provide services to
its residents. A fee increase from the City of Lacey, combined with a tax levy
lid lift, would provide stable funding for the Fire District for the next
several years.
Q: Can you cut
other non-essential staff or make other budget reductions
before asking
voters to pay more taxes?
A: The District has reduced all non-essential fire
personnel to the minimum. In fact, fewer than six employees provide
administrative support to our 140 members (employees & volunteer personnel)
and this covers the essential staff needed to pay bills and answer phones and
for human resource functions such as payroll and benefits. Because over 86
percent of our budget funds personnel, additional budget shortfalls can only
come from staffing reductions.
Q: What will happen if the levy lid isn't approved?
A: Our current
budget forecast shows a $1.4 million deficit in 2009. Without additional
revenues, we estimate potential layoffs of up to 12 firefighter-emergency
medical technicians. This would further impact response times and daily
staffing.
Q: Will any fire
stations be closed if the levy doesn't pass?
A: the levy measure isn't approved, it is
likely that in 2009 we wouldn't staff at least one station because of staff
layoffs and to reduce the costs for operating a station.
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Q: What is the 2008 budget for Lacey Fire District #3?
A: The total
budget for the District is $12,073,812 million. This includes property tax
revenues, contract fees from the City of Lacey, monies for Medic One, which are
re-distributed for the operating costs for this service, and some grant dollars
that pay for equipment and reimburse expenses for extraordinary responses
outside of our District.
Q:
How many employees work for Lacey Fire District #3?
A: About 140 employees and volunteers
deliver services through our five neighborhood stations. We have a total of 92
career employees with 90 percent serving as uniformed incident response
personnel.
Q: What is the
budget breakdown? What portion of the budget covers firefighters versus costs
for fuel and fire trucks, for example?
A: Of our total budget, 86 percent goes to salaries and
benefits for staff. The remainder is split between professional services
(training, legal, insurance, vehicle maintenance, etc.) at 9 percent supplies
(fuel, utilities, paper, protective gear, etc.) at 4 percent and capital
equipment at 1 percent.
Q:
How have rising gas prices affected Lacey Fire District #3?
A: Fuel costs began to
increase significantly in 2004 when our fuel bill was about $2,800 per month.
Today our fuel cost runs $7,500 per month, or more than 165 percent higher.
Over 60 percent of the increase is for higher fuel prices and the balance is
due to increased calls for service.
Q: How come fire trucks respond to calls for medical services?
A: Lacey Fire
District provides both fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS).
Our funding does not allow us to provide separate staffing for these two
services - it would cost more to do this - so all of our personnel and fire
apparatus are dual function; i.e., able to respond to both fire and EMS
incidents. The cost of operating the larger fire apparatus is not that much
greater than for the smaller aid unit vehicles.
Q. Is the staffing for Lacey Fire District about
average, lower or higher than for similar districts?
A: Lacey Fire District #3 regularly
compares its staffing and operations to other fire districts of similar size
and function. In general, we are one of the most efficient fire districts in
terms of our ability to respond to more calls with fewer fire fighters. Our
staffing is low compared to others. Because of this fact, additional staffing
cuts - a potential for up to 12 fire fighter-EMTs if the levy lid isn't
approved - will most likely impact response times.
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