District Won’t Annex City

WAITSBURG - The city of Waitsburg would like to annex into Fire District 2, but the fire commissioners aren't ready to let that happen any- time soon.

"The city is just looking for ways to cut the budget," said Commissioner Jim Leid. "We are already paying the fire chief."

The fire district was created by the county tax payers in April 1945, according to the Walla Walla County Assessor's Office. Since that time, the taxpayers' money has funded the district with help from the city of Waitsburg through a mutual aid agreement, said Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe. Fire District 2 covers area in Walla Walla and Columbia counties.

Hinchliffe describes the agreement as a "weird setup" because of the way the city and the district share costs to run the volunteer fire depart- ment. Hinchliffe said the city owns two fire engines and is responsible for the costs and maintenance of those engines and it pays volunteers for some calls. Fire District 2 pays for its equipment and pays the volun- teer staff as well.

The city used to pay half of Fire Chief Jim Callahan's stipend, but last November, the council voted to cut its con- tribution. Now, Fire District 2 is paying the entire $500 monthly stipend to the chief, Leid said.

Hinchliffe said last Novem- ber the elimination of the stipend after two years was part of an original agreement with the district commissioners. He said the district understood that the city's part of the stipend would go away if the district did not annex the city into its boundaries.

"It was set up for two years - that was our design," Hinchliffe said last November. "Until the commissioners are willing to (annex us in), that's just where it sits."

Last week at the Waitsburg City Council meeting, Councilman Marty Dunn asked if Fire District 2 had come forward about annexing the city into the district. He said he only remembered attending one meeting five or six years ago on the subject.

Hinchliffe said it would be beneficial for the district to annex the city in because the district could ask for more taxpayer money to fund the de- partment and that money could possibly pay for professional firefighters and new equip- ment. It would be beneficial for the city because money going now to fire services could be directed elsewhere. Hinchliffe said the city doesn't have much money to give to the department because city money has to cover so many budget items.

The city has offered the fire department building and equipment to the district if the commissioners would allow annexation.

The last letter regarding annexation was sent from Hinchliffe to the commission- ers was in September 2011, he said. And he never heard back from the commissioners.

Fire Commissioner Jake Long said the annexation is "not happening" because the commissioners are not inter- ested in annexing in the city at this time.

Long said the commissioners did talk about annexation at a couple of meetings back in 2005 and 2006, but he said change would not be "practi- cal."

Leid said he simply doesn't see how annexing in the city would benefit the taxpayers who were responsible for setting up the district so many years ago.

However, a lack of com- munication on the issue was apparent at the most recent council meeting.

"When you hit a stone wall, where do you go from here?" Mayor Walt Gobel asked at the meeting.