With 6 months left, Fire District 1 needs board member
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 25, 2019
LYNNWOOD — Fire District 1 no longer provides services, and it doesn’t really have funding anymore, but it’s still alive for another six months.
And now, it needs someone to join its Board of Commissioners to see it to the end of the year, when it will be disbanded at last. The new person will also serve another two years on the South County Fire board, finishing out the six-year term of Commissioner Richard Schrock, who passed away from cancer in May.
A selection won’t be made by a public vote. Rather, the remaining commissioners will make an appointment themselves, choosing from a pool of applicants. Those interested must fill out and turn in applications by July 5.
Before merging with the Lynnwood Fire Department in 2017, Fire District 1 provided services to unincorporated south Snohomish County, Brier, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.
Fire District 1 commissioners still meet, despite serving little purpose, gathering at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Video recordings show recent meetings have lasted less than 10 minutes, and little more than a half hour at the longest.
Typically the board will go over financials, or what’s left of them. Through April, the district collected nearly $370,000, much of which came from delinquent property taxes from the previous year. That’s compared to $4.2 million last year, when the agency was still funded by an emergency medical services tax.
Most of the money has been funneled to South County Fire, though some is being kept in the account as a contingency. The account will be drained at the end of the year.
After making sure Fire District 1’s financials are in shape, commissioners go directly into the South County Fire meeting, where the real business happens. That starts at 7 p.m. on the first, second and third Tuesdays of each month.
Board members receive $128 per meeting day as payment for their services, up to $12,288 total.
An overwhelming number of voters chose to dissolve Fire District 1 in a February special election. About 10 percent, or 1,419 people, voted against it.
A public vote is required by law to dissolve a fire protection district.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
People interested in becoming a commissioner can fill out an application, including 10 questions about why they would be a good fit, at www.southsnofire.org/board-of-commissioners/board-vacancy. A physical copy can be picked up during business hours at South County Fire Headquarters, 12425 Meridian Ave. S., Everett. Completed applications should be turned in at the headquarters no later than 3:30 p.m., July 5. Qualified applicants must be registered to vote and live within the boundaries of Fire District 1 in unincorporated south Snohomish County.
