||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE |||
In their meeting on May 11, Fire Department board of commissioners passed the attached resolution for a levy lift in upcoming election.
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12 Comments
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||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE |||
In their meeting on May 11, Fire Department board of commissioners passed the attached resolution for a levy lift in upcoming election.
Comments are closed.
No thanks, will not vote for any additional tax dollars for OIFR until the current board is replaced with commissioners who value transparency, and who protect the staff and volunteers of the department by treating them with basic decency and respect.
The gall of these people to operate the way they have for the past 2 years, and then ask the public for more money would be humorous did it not have such negative impacts on our community.
I will be urging every community member I know to vote no.
I attended the meeting in person
There is no term limit on the levy proposal ?
Oops !
!
There is no term indicated for this levy. There is a reason. It is complicated yet well worth understanding why.
I don’t even have to read the resolution. No Thanks. Vote NO! Ridiculous.
Pierrette is correct that this missing term looks like a legal clerical error, however, there is more to it than that. Perpetual levies seem to be the latest rage in Fire Department finance. Maybe this notion is a good thing for some commmunnities but I just don’t feel it is for Orcas.
The district’s many and sadly serious financial “sins of the past” certainly must be addressed with a new levy. We, as a community of voters will eventually properly fund our department through a process of inclusion of public input to our commissioners.
Rushing to the nearest election without prior and complete public input seems to me a bit Pollyanna.
Due largely to our delay in preparing this funding plan there are timing constraints. Utilizing an excellent fire department financial planning firm, the staff and commission, has finally produced at least the data we need to examine our current situation.
Since neither the commissioners nor the public has had any time to really think this through, the ballot in November would obviously be a much better choice.
Seat belts everybody!
This would be a permanent lid lift,
Asking 4.2 million yearly
Currently receiving 2.5 million yearly
Seriously….
On April 11 th 35 participants listened to a presentation to the Commissioners by a very astute consultant and long range planner.I am sure the cost for this and her power point presentation was considerable, but very valuable.
She addressed the $250,000 annual shortfall and what funding tools might exist. She emphasized engaging and educating the public on what the current level of service would require.
Many elements of her presentation could have been used to reach a wider public. I think it is regrettable that a meeting called on short notice with a decision made ignores the importance of much of her advice.
I will be voting NO on this levy. The answer to cash flow problems is to reduce expenses, not hit up the citizens for millions of dollars in taxes. What is it with every bureaucracy in this county that the only answer to any problem is more and more of my money? Mission creep and budget bloat is endemic at the fire hall. This has to stop.
This week is the County’s candidate filing week for people interested in any of the *many* elected offices that are up on the upcoming election. Here’s your chance to do step up!
Filing is Mon May 15, 9AM -> Friday May 19, 4PM, and you can withdraw as late as 4:30PM May 22. Filing online is easy.
Of particular note is that 4 of the 5 Orcas Fire Commission positions are up, the positions that were previously filled by appointment and not by election, as people resigned. If you want representative government, you know what to do…
https://www.sanjuanco.com/1221/Elections-Office
Thank you, Pierrette and Gary for your comments and attention to this matter. The matter should be put off till November when the department has had a chance to show us their budget, budget short falls, and projected budgets into the future. We shouldn’t have to go looking for this info. Obviously, we want to support the department and these responders in providing us the wonderful care we’ve come to expect. I just met a woman who is trying to figure out whether or not she can continue living on Orcas as her property taxes have doubled over a too short period of time for someone living on a fixed budget. This is the near future for me as well as I age and imagine retiring. We need Balance.
Here it is in a nutshell..
On August first Orcas Fire is asking to change their now expiring 10 year levy from
$.58/thousand to $1.06/thousand and making it permanent.
That is an 82.7% increase.
A $650,000 property will see their FD taxes go from $377/year to $689/year.