||| FROM JUSTIN PAULSEN |||
Last fall, I opposed the passage of the two levy propositions that the Board of Orcas Fire and Rescue put before the voters of Orcas Island. My objection to the levies was based on what I saw as structural flaws in construction and a lack of input from the public.
Since that time, the BOFC has spent a significant amount of time deliberating not only the quantity on funds required to maintain services, but also the best way to structure a levy in order to provide residents with the security and oversight necessary. They reached out to our community and crafted a new levy that represents acknowledgement of our community concerns. Once passed, this new levy will provide OIFR with operational funds necessary to maintain the current exceptional level of service for the next five years. This assurance will allow the department to take the next step, which is to secure the capital needs of the department for the coming years.
The board, staff and volunteers at Orcas Fire and Rescue are fundamental components of the health and success of our community. Your “YES” vote on the upcoming ballot is a vote to further that success.
I really appreciate now the current OIFR Board involved the taxpaying public in its decision-making process, and will therefore vote in favor of the levy lift, too. And I sincerely wish that other island boards representing crucial public interests would follow the OIFR example.