Officials from Snohomish County Fire Districts 1 and 7 are discussing merging their fire and emergency medical services.
"One of the best times to talk about a merger is when your CEO is leaving or gone," said Brian McMahan, Fire District 1 board chairman.
District 1 fired Jack McArthur as fire chief on Sept. 25 after allegations he had a relationship with an attorney hired to represent the district. Assistant Chief Ed Widdis has been acting fire chief. That appointment ends Monday.
McMahan said District 1 residents pay $1.94 per $1,000 of assessed property value for fire and EMS services combined. That’s 44 cents more than the tax paid by District 7 residents.
McMahan said the situation is similar to when districts 1 and 11 merged at a time when District 1 charged its residents less than District 11 did. The merger saved about $140,000 by sharing the fire chief position. McMahan said mergers aren’t anything new; four of the five commissioners were in office when Districts 1 and 11 merged in 1999.
Mountlake Terrace city manager Connie Fessler and Mayor Jerry Smith said they are interested in contracting for services with District 1 regardless of the proposed merger.
If completed, the move would create one district serving unincorporated Edmonds and Lynnwood east to Maltby, and the cities of Mountlake Terrace, Mill Creek and Brier. The new district would cover approximately 94 square miles and 200,000 residents — almost one-third of the county’s population.
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