The Fire District receives 83% of our funding from our regular fire levy.  An additional 13% comes from ambulance transport fees.  Our Levy is the primary source of revenue to sustain all emergency services provided by the Fire District. The District can only collect 1% more revenue from the previous year due to Washington State Laws.  In order to collect more than the statutory amount allowed, we must present to the voters a Levy Lid Lift to go above that 1% cap.

The rapidly rising cost of all goods and services impacts the Fire District just like everyone else.  With the ability to only increase the revenue collected by 1% each year, we quickly fall behind and our revenue cannot keep up with expenditures. As the price of fuel, salaries, benefits, equipment, supplies, and everything else continues to rise above 1%, the existing revenue gets stretched thinner each year.

Clallam 2 Fire-REscue works hard to meet the needs of the community we serve.  The 9 full-time firefighters and 35 volunteerrs protect 85 square miles of central Clallam County.  We cover the communities of Deer Park, Gales Addition, Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Angeles, Dry Creek, Black Diamond, Lake Sutherland, and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.  In 2024 we responded to 1,994 emergency calls averaging 5.4 calls a day.

The last Fire Levy Lid Lift was in 2020.  At that time the Levy rate was $0.86/per thousand of assessed property value.  The voters approved a Levy increase to $1.36/per thousand.  This was to fund additional staffing and equipment purchases.  Since 2020, the Fire District was able to start part-time staffing of Fire Station 22 in Dry Creek with career staff M-Th 7 AM- 6 PM during peak demand times. The Fire District was also able to purchase a replacement fire engine and water tender to replace vehicles that were over 30 years old.  The goals of the 2020 have been met and this proposed Levy Lid Lift in 2024 will sustain those improvements and continue building on our success into the future.

While we always try to ensure a Levy Lid Lift will sustain operations for the next 5-7 years before we have to ask voters for another Lid Lift, the rate of inflation since 2020 far surpassed expectations, primary due to the pandemic. This is what requires the Fire District to propose another Levy Lid Lift on the August 6th primary ballot.

The current Fire Levy is $0.96/per thousand of assessed property value. The Fire District is putting forth to the voters an increase of $0.54/per thousand Fire Levy on the August 6th, 2024 primary ballot.  This would set the Fire Levy at a rate of $1.50/per thousand.

2024 Levy Lid Lift increased cost for homeowners

$300,000 home       =        $162 a year/$13.50 per month

$400,000 home       =        $216 a year/$18.00 per month

$500,000 home       =        $270 a year/$22.50 per month

When your property values increase, your Fire Levy doesn’t increase by the same factor.  This is because our Levy can only increase by 1%.  If your property value goes up by 5, 10, 15% or higher, it doesn’t mean your Fire Levy goes up by those same percentages.  When your assessed value goes up above 1%, your Levy rate drops to make sure you don’t pay more than a 1% increase from year to year for your Fire Levy.  This is why your Levy rate of $1.36/per thousand in 2020 has dropped to $0.96/per thousand in 2024.

The highest priority for a successful Fire Levy Lid Lift for Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue is to ensure the long-term stability of the Fire District’s operations.  This will include;

• Refilling the vacant Deputy Fire Chief Position.  This position was vacated in early 2024 when the current Deputy Chief left for a position in another fire department.  Budget constraints forced the decision to not refill this position until additional revenue can be secured.
• Fully fund a Capital Purchase program for the replacement of our vehicles, equipment, and facility master planning
• Sustainable funding for our Volunteer Training Coordinator.  This position was grant funded until the end of 2023 and now is being funded by our regular budget
• Recruitment and retention of our volunteer firefighters and EMTs
• Sustain funding for our current career staff of 4 firefighter/paramedics and 5 firefighter/EMTs