||| FROM LEITH TEMPLIN |||
I hope you will join me in voting for the three incumbents for the board of Fire Commissioners. These three men jumped in with both feet within the last year to be commissioners when no one else would.
Alan brings extensive knowledge and experience with various fire departments since 1978. He has developed and implemented programs for us as well as other departments. In 2010 he joined Orcas Fire and became a firefighter, EMT and then the Volunteer Lieutenant for Station 24 in Deer Harbor. He was also part of the Marine Response and Transport division and spent 8 years as President of the Orcas Volunteer FF/EMT Association board. Recently helped create the Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program for OIFR and is the current director. Alan is also a Washington State EMS Evaluator. He teaches new EMTs on the islands and contributes to keeping OIFR EMTs certified. For the last 8 years he has been the American Heart Association First AID/CPR/AED instructor for OIFR. With all this experience plus his financial and budgeting experience he is a great asset to the board. He has dedicated himself to serving our community and continues to work to make our fire department the best it can be.
Nick Negulescu is the newest to the island. He has brought a fresh new set of eyes to the board. He was appointed in January of this year. He has done an excellent job diving in learning about what it takes to be a commissioner. There is a high learning curve with Federal and State regulations and learning the differences between public and private boards and commissions. His help with insurance contracts and health care management practices is something we have never had before. Nick brings a high level of budget and financial understanding which is very much needed going forward. If you have listened to him at our public meetings, you can see what an asset he is and will continue to be when elected.
Jim Biddick was appointed in March 2023. He too immediately took being a commissioner very seriously. Reading the commissioners handbook and studying the State and Federal Regulations and learning the difference from being a private board member to being a public governmental commissioner. Jim not only brings his finance background to OIFR but he brings 19 years of community service to Orcas Island. He has been a board member of several organizations including the Lions Club and has been instrumental in organizing blood drives for many years.
All these men work hard for OIFR and our community. They are committed to the health and well-being of both. They take this job very seriously and are thoughtful, honest, dedicated and above all believe in transparency to the community and OIFR department.
I urge you all to vote for them because a vote for them is a vote for the future care and service we all have enjoyed. I personally do not want us to go backwards and without them we will.
Vote NO. No to incumbent commissioners and no to the levy. Let’s get the locals in there.
All good people, just miserable decision makers. Because the County Assessor is months late in reporting the 2023 assessed valuation of Orcas parcels (reportedly will be released Friday, 27 October), the increase to property taxes for the levy conceived by this group of commissioners, including the author, is an unknown, but based on the last known 2022 assessment valuation, it’s an 80.2% increase. It almost certainly will be a greater percentage than that with the new valuations. The Voter’s Pamphlet’s Argument For (page 48) , approved by this group of fire commissioners, state the levy is for a single year lid lift (not mentioning it’s the cost basis for future statutory lid lifts) and a $20 a month increase for a $500,000 assessed home, while the Orcas Island average assessed single family residence is $1,041,250, and will almost certainly increase one the assessor ‘s late releases the 2023 valuations. So the increase will likely be 85%+, and that would make the average single family tax in excess of $500 a year and continuing on for years. The Orcas Fire District under the current levy amount collects more than any of the other fire district in San Juan County … but two other districts have EMS levies. An increase is needed to avoid the 2025 levy cliff … but it’s nowhere near what the current “fail to properly plan” fire commissioners have presented to voters.
And do we really need FIVE new fire engines in the next six years when the last fire district insurance evaluators gave full passing grades to the Orcas fire capital equipment in their 2019 report, and each of the Orcas fire stations has a working fire truck? That’s the existing commissioners agreeing to one consultant’s shiny red Christmas wishlist package of VERY EXPENSIVE new fire trucks that taxpayers will be paying for. Occasionally a new engine … yes. Five … no.
Vote NO on the proposed levy and support new commissioners who will present voters with a better considered and less costly fire district levy in 2024.