DARRINGTON – Residents within Darrington’s town limits will be asked to approve a new six-year emergency medical services levy on Tuesday.
The new property tax rate would be 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, up from the existing levy rate of 39 cents. For the owner of a $150,000 home, the levy would cost $75 a year.
Rural residents who live outside of Darrington but within the Darrington School District approved a levy at the new 50-cent rate in the Sept. 14 primary election.
The original plan was to include town residents as well on that ballot, but town residents were excluded due to miscommunication, said Lyla Boyd, the town clerk.
The confusion probably was because the two areas used to be served by independent fire districts. The rural and town districts now use the same administration under District 24, but technically they have not merged yet.
That technicality requires separate levy requests.
Darrington has a contract with the volunteer Darrington Ambulance Association for basic life support. If the advance services of paramedics are needed, Darrington also contracts with Arlington, an arrangement shared with various rural districts in the Stillaguamish Valley.
All the other rural districts that work with Arlington approved the 50-cent emergency services levy in the primary. Arlington also approved it.
The Snohomish County voters’ pamphlet has no statement of organized opposition to the measure.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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