Fire Annexation Discussed at Open House

WAITSBURG – Folding chairs replaced fire trucks in the bays of the Waitsburg City Fire Station during a well-attended open house on Wed., Oct. 14.

Community members, fire officials, and city and county representatives discussed three issues: the annexation of the City of Waitsburg into Walla Walla Fire District No. 2, the EMS levy on the Columbia County portion of Fire District No. 2, and upcoming changes for ambulance service in Waitsburg.

Annexation of Waitsburg into Walla Walla County Fire District No. 2

Fire District No. 2 Commissioner Deb Fortner explained that there are currently three fire entities housed in the building on Waitsburg’s Main Street: the City of Waitsburg Fire Department, Walla Walla County Fire District No. 2, and Columbia County Fire District No. 2. The annexation would combine the city department with Walla Walla Dist. No. 2, while Columbia County Dist. No. 2 would remain separate.

“They will still be under the same roof, but for geographic purposes, Walla Walla and Columbia County stay separate on the books,’ she said.

Columbia County Fire Dist. No. 3 Chief Rick Turner discussed how Dayton navigated a similar process when Columbia County Fire District No. 3 annexed the independent city fire department and later brought in the private ambulance service, nearly ten years ago.

Turner spoke of the benefits to the combined entities by sharing training, resources and equipment. He also commented strongly about the importance of dedicated fire funding.

Turner said that because Dayton didn’t have a dedicated fund for the fire department, if something went wrong in the city, such as a sewer line blowing out, and the only money that was left was for the fire department, that money would be used to fix the sewer line. With a fire district controlling funds, that won’t happen.

“In any municipality, that’s the way it is; the money’s got to go where it’s got to go. In a fire district, there is a dedicated fund to be used strictly for fire related expenses and the commissioners are in charge of where the money will be spent,” he said.

“When you put all these departments together it’s a lot of work, but it’s the right thing to do. I can’t emphasize that enough,” he said.

Fortner said that annexation would have several advantages. The city would be free of the responsibility of providing fire protection, allowing them to focus instead “on what they are good at” – running the city and providing infrastructure such as roads, and water and sewer lines.

She said annexation will also simplify bookkeeping while consolidating and streamlining resources. In addition, City of Waitsburg residents would be eligible to run for the position of Walla Walla Fire District No. 2 commissioner.

The annexation will come at a cost to taxpayers, she said. If passed, Waitsburg residents will pay $0.51/$1000 of assessed valuation for fire protection, which will bring in about $36,000 to the district.

Funds will be used for fuel, equipment maintenance, fire supplies and apparatus purchases, insurance, dispatch fees, and training and continuing education for firefighters.

Walla Walla County Auditor Debra Antes said Walla Walla County residents already pay $0.48 cents per $1,000 for fire protection and won’t see a change.

Attendee Jim Davison asked why residents hadn’t seen anything about the cost of the annexation until recently.

“We are just now ramping up to get all the facts out around election time. We were trying to time it with the ballots coming out so that everyone had the facts in front of them,” said Fortner.

City Councilor Deb Callahan said the annexation costs were included in flyers that were handed out at National Night Out on Aug. 4.

Fortner displayed the ballot proposition which reads: “Shall the City of Waitsburg be annexed to and be a part of Walla Walla County Fire Protection District No. 2?”

Attendee Carol Guay asked why the proposition doesn’t mention any tax and said that voters would not realize they were voting for a tax increase by reading the proposition.

Roger Ferris, executive secretary of the Washington Fire Commissioners Association responded, saying the prosecutor’s office, by law, writes the ballot propositions and is limited to how the propositions can be written.

“They cannot put a dollar amount in there so in your voter guide they have a description of what it is and it will say approximately 51 cents per thousand. They just do not put those dollar amounts into ballot propositions. It’s supposed to be the pure annexation. The description is in the voter’s guide. It’s in the law of how it works,” Ferris said.

“There’s not enough words. You’re required to have only 75 or less words, so there wouldn’t be enough words to put in that,” he added.

The Times inquired with the prosecutor’s office and was told that they do not write the proposals.

“The prosecutor doesn’t decide what the content of the ballot title is, we just make sure the wording complies with the statutes, Ballot titles for annexations do not require estimated amounts for costs, and, if anyone has estimated the costs, it was not submitted with the resolution placing it on the election ballot,” said Prosecuting Attorney Jim Nagle.

Nagle also said there is nothing that would legally prevent the annexation costs from being listed on the ballot here, though he doesn’t know if it has ever been the case in other parts of the state.

There is also no information on the annexation proposal in the State of Washington Voters’ Pamphlet.

Attendee Larry Johnson asked if the city will reduce its budget and residents’ taxes appropriately, to offset the money the city will no longer spend on firefighting.

Fortner said that, from what she has been told, the city has the option to do that but, at this point, has chosen not to do so.

At a recent Commercial Club meeting Waitsburg City Clerk Randy Hinchliffe said the city keeps its property tax more than $1 below the $3.375 per thousand they are legally allowed to tax. He said that city taxes will remain the same and will go into the general fund used to operate the city.

Mayor Walt Gobel said the city currently allocates about $15,000 a year from the general fund for the fire department, which will now be put to use elsewhere.

“We’ll have more money to work on our streets, we’ve got some sewer lines and water lines that are really in bad shape; some might go toward the pool. Those are the type of things you’ll see improvements on in the city,” Gobel said.

“To me, it’s the city double-dipping taxes,” Johnson said. “They should be more transparent and drop back the money they’re collecting from us since we’re going to be paying taxes a second time for the same thing. I think that’s unjust and unfair.”

To pass, the annexation proposal needs a simple majority approval from voters in both the City of Waitsburg and in Walla Walla County.

Ambulance Service and Columbia County EMS Levy

Fortner said that Waitsburg Ambulance Service approached Walla Walla Fire No. 2 earlier this year asking them to take over the ambulance service. On Jan. 1, 2016, Walla Walla County Fire District No. 2 will start an ambulance service. Columbia County Fire No. 2 will contract with Walla Walla Fire No. 2 for ambulance service. Waitsburg Ambulance Service will be dissolved on that date.

“Waitsburg Ambulance Service is a private business and they don’t have the advantage of going to the taxpayers and asking for money like the fire department does,” Fortner said. “For 45 years, they have provided the citizens with excellent care.

“It takes a lot of money to do that,” she added. “They are to the point where they are tired of fighting that fight and they asked Fire 2 to step up. That’s why we’re asking for money from the Columbia County side.”

Columbia County Fire No. 2 is running six-year EMS levy in the amount of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, which will bring in approximately $26,520 per year. The levy will require a supermajority vote of 60 percent to pass.

The tax would apply to residents in the Columbia County portion of Fire District No. 2. Walla Walla County taxpayers already pay an EMS tax. Funds would be used for ambulance service operations, maintenance, future upgrades, and training.

“Fire 2 feels it’s extremely important to keep the ambulance service here. We don’t want it to go away. We want it to stay here. Is it going to cost more money? Yes, it is. But, personally, I want the service here,” Fortner said.

Fortner explained that, because the ambulance service is a private entity, voters don’t get to vote on whether or not the district will take over service. She said the ambulance service board and the district have been working all summer on the transition.

When asked if the district will take over ambulance service regardless of whether or not the city of Waitsburg fire department annexation passes, Fortner replied that it would.

Waitsburg Ambulance Service AEMT Sharon Brooks asked what the plans were, as far as leadership and line-of-command, for bringing the ambulance over to the fire service.

Assistant Fire Chief Neil Henze said that would be up to the chief and commissioners to decide. “We really haven’t focused on that with all the other things we’ve been dealing with over the last six months. That will be addressed, probably in the next month,” he said.

Brooks also asked if there would be a change in Medical Program Director (MPD) since the current MPD, Dr. Luce of Dayton, may not be able to serve as MPD in Walla Walla County.

Brooks said she had spoken with both Walla Walla and Columbia County MPDs and that the ambulance service currently exceeds what is expected from the Walla Walla MPD.

“Will we be expected to lower our level of care?” she asked, noting that Columbia County has advanced EMTs and Walla Walla doesn’t.

Fortner said they were aware of the difference in protocols and that it is something Fire No. 2 will be looking into. “We don’t want to go backwards,” she said.

“We feel the citizens of Waitsburg deserve the best emergency services and fire suppression possible. With this all coming under one umbrella it gives us the ability to make a one year, five year, and ten year plan. It’s just gives us the ability to make the whole system even better than it already is,” Fortner said.