EVERETT — The Marysville Fire District’s Board of Directors voted on April 16 to place a levy lid lift on the ballot for the upcoming primary election.
The levy lid lift would increase the current levy rate from $1.04 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $1.45 per $1,000. It would be the same rate voters previously passed in 2019.
That year, voters narrowly approved a merger between the Marysville Fire Department and Snohomish County Fire District 12, forming the Marysville Fire District.
The merger passed with a margin of less than 100 votes. It set the levy rate to $1.45 per $1,000 of assessed value, but the rate has since dropped because state law limits annual growth on property tax revenue. Voters overwhelmingly renewed the fire district’s EMS levy in 2023.
The fire district is seeking the levy lid lift this year to meet the increasing demands of its expanding community while maintaining fire and emergency medical services, it said in a release Thursday. The money will go toward staffing, equipment, facilities and training, the district said.
“As Marysville continues to grow, so does the need for fire and emergency medical services,” department chief Ned Vander Pol wrote in a release. “This levy lid lift will help us maintain and enhance the services our community expects and deserves. It will allow us to invest in our personnel and resources, ensuring we are always prepared to respond quickly and effectively when needed.”
If approved, the average homeowner would see their taxes increase by about $18.47 per month, a fire district website said.
The primary election is Aug. 5.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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