FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: July 15, 2022
Contact: Fire Chief Jeff Faucett (360) 895-6502 jfaucett@skfr.org
South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Board Passes Levy Lid Lift Resolution
Measure on November General Election Ballot
[Port Orchard, Wash.] – The Board of Fire Commissioners for South Kitsap Fire and Rescue unanimously approved a resolution to place a fire levy lid lift on the November 8, 2022 General Election ballot. If approved by voters, the funding will be used to hire additional firefighters over the next five years to reduce response times and improve safety for the community and its firefighters.
The fire levy accounts for almost 60 percent of SKFR’s revenue. SKFR is the largest emergency services provider in Kitsap County responding to more than 12,000 calls a year. Call volumes have increased 47.5 percent in the past 10 years – 10.7 percent in the past year alone.
Voters approved a Fire Levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2017 with a clause to follow the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Even with this CPI clause, the Fire Levy can never go above the statutory limit of $1.50 per $1,000. The lid lift would be $0.29 per $1,000 to bring the fire levy back to a $1.50 per thousand of assessed value.
The Fire Levy rate has dropped to $1.21 per $1,000 in 2022. Fire levy rates drop as property values rise to limit a fire district to roughly the same amount of revenue per year. SKFR is asking voters to renew the same Fire Levy rate and CPI clause this November.
If approved by voters, the lid lift would increase minimum daily staffing levels by eight firefighters over the next five years. This will provide another staffed fire engine and medic unit 24 hours a day to serve district residents. Additional personnel will reduce response times, improve reliability, and help manage multiple emergencies that happen at the same time.
SKFR also is planning to fill more open positions caused by attrition and retirements. The agency has applied for a federal grant to fill these positions through this process and will hear back on whether it has been successful this fall.
“We’re doing what we can to minimize the cost to taxpayers with a lid lift for some personnel immediately and a grant for the rest we need in the future,” said Fire Chief Jeff Faucett. “Grants help, but they are not a substitute for regular funding.” More information on the lid lift can be found on the Fire District’s website at www.skfr.org. Chief Faucett also welcomes questions at (360) 895-6502 or jfaucett@skfr.org.
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South Kitsap Fire and Rescue is the largest emergency services provider in Kitsap County. In its 75th year of service, the agency provides fire and EMS to more than 79,000 people over 117 square miles. Full-time and volunteer emergency personnel responded to over 12,000 calls in 2021, a 10.7% increase compared to the year before. South Kitsap Fire and Rescue is debt-free, operates under a balanced budget, and has passed all its independent audits by the state. More information on the Fire District can be found at www.skfr.org.