EVERETT — Voters were approving three levy lifts in Snohomish County, according to initial results from Tuesday’s primary election.
Marysville Fire District
Initial numbers show the Marysville Fire District’s levy lid lift passing with 64%.
This levy lid lift increases the current levy rate from $1.04 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $1.45 per $1,000. This comes just two years after voters renewed the fire district’s EMS levy.
The passage of the levy lift means the district’s average homeowner will see their property taxes increase by about $18.47 per month.
Marysville Fire District would use the revenue to meet increasing demands of its expanding community while maintaining fire and emergency medical services, according to a press release in May.
“As Marysville continues to grow, so does the need for fire and emergency medical services,” department chief Ned Vander Pol said in the 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.”
North County Regional Fire Authority
Voters in the North County Regional Fire Authority district were approving a levy lid lift by 63%.
Previously, the levy sat at $1.32 per $1,000 of assessed property value. With this approval, the rate would increase to $1.50 per $1,000.
North County Fire serves much of northern Snohomish County, including Arlington and Stanwood. For the average homeowner in the area, property taxes will increase by about $7.50 per month, or $90 per year.
The levy would fund both fire and emergency medical services, including two fire engine replacements, six ambulances and a ladder truck refurbishment. The revenue will also support firefighter wages and renovations at Station 90, allowing for more emergency personnel.
Call volumes have gone up 26% in three years, resulting in higher costs for personnel, equipment and medical supplies on top of inflation, according to North County Fire Chief Dave Kraski in a press release April 10.
“This funding is essential to replace aging apparatus and maintain the speed and quality of response our community relies on,” he said.
Snohomish County Fire District No. 4
The Snohomish County Fire District No. 4 levy lid lift was passing Tuesday by 60%.
The levy lid lift raises the current 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000.
For every $500,000 of assessed property value, property taxes will increase just under $6 per month, or $70 a year. Passage of the levy lid lift means the district could increase its daily number of firefighters for the first time since 2009. District No. 4 would go from 10 to 12 firefighters on shift and create a fourth unit available to respond to medical emergencies.
If the levy lift passes, Fire Chief Don Waller hopes to gradually increase staffing to 13-15 firefighters per day by 2031, he said in March.
“EMS is our most widely used emergency service,” Waller said in a press release. “We require more first responders and resources to meet the growing needs of the community and continue providing high-quality emergency medical care.”
The added revenue will also help fund EMS supplies, billing and training costs.
Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay
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