MUKILTEO — The city of Mukilteo is backing away from plans to contract with Snohomish County Fire District 1.
The City Council’s public safety committee recommended against signing the contract, Mayor Jennifer Gregerson said. The council is expected to vote on the matter in early 2015.
The city also plans to hire a consultant to study fire department operations. Up to $30,000 has been approved for the study, which is expected to be completed in January or February, the mayor said.
“That will give us recommendations about moving forward as our own department,” she said.
The future of the Mukilteo Fire Department had been in limbo during years of on-and-off talks with Fire District 1. The former fire chief retired in May and a successor has not been named.
Fire District 1, the largest fire district in Snohomish County, already contracts with Brier, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace. Lynnwood also has flirted with a Fire District 1 contract in recent years.
In south county, only Mukilteo, Lynnwood and Bothell have kept their city fire departments.
Gregerson, who was elected mayor in 2013, had been aggressive in pushing for a fire-service contract, saying it would save money and improve service for the city of 23,000.
The Mukilteo Fire Department in 2013 had the equivalent of 29.5 full-time employees, including 25 firefighters and paramedics. The 2013 budget was $4.3 million.
Marcus Kragness has been serving as the acting fire chief.*
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Correction, Dec. 2, 2014: Marcus Kragness is the acting fire chief in Mukilteo. He was identified incorrectly in an earlier version of this story.
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