By Cathy Logg
Herald Writer
Seven Lakes-area voters in Snohomish County Fire District 20 will decide April 23 whether to merge with another fire district to create a new Marysville Fire District.
The merger would join fire services in District 20 and District 12.
District 12 already provides fire services in the city of Marysville.
Under state law, a city fire department and a fire district can’t merge, but they can work together by contract, said Greg Corn, who wears the chief’s hat at both District 12 and Marysville Fire Department.
The proposal is that District 20 merge into District 12. If the merger is approved by a simple majority of voters, District 12’s board of commissioners would accept the vote and the District 20’s board of commissioners would join District 20’s board for a time.
Under state law, fire commissioners serve six-year terms, with one of the board’s three commissioners standing for election every two years. The next three elections would whittle the board back down to three positions, Corn said.
The three corporations have operated together successfully for a long time, he said. The advantages of a full merger are largely administrative instead of operational.
The joined district would undergo a single audit, which would save money, since a district pays for its audits, and all district ballot issues would occur in a single election, Corn said. In addition, a single taxing district would levy one property tax instead of two different and possibly unequal levies, he said.
"It would eliminate redundancies in equipment and administrative overhead," Corn said.
District 20, which includes the area around Lake Goodwin and Lake Ki, covers 18 square miles and about 6,500 residents. District 12, in the Marysville area, covers 27 square miles and about 25,000 residents, Corn said. The two districts have adjoining borders.
The contractual consolidation began in 1998, initiating a trial period to determine whether there were benefits to operating as a single agency, Corn said.
District 12 also contracts services with Marysville. Corn is the fire chief for Marysville and District 12. District 20 does not have a paid chief.
Combined, the three fire agencies have about 60 full-time employees and about 80 part-time volunteers.
Marysville pays its volunteers some money and by policy hires from within the ranks. Those seeking permanent firefighter jobs must serve two years as a volunteer.
The district doesn’t accept outside applications except when necessary to hire paramedics, Corn said.
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437
or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
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