When local cities previously tried to establish a regional fire service authority it was readily apparent that it was a very large money grab. The enabling legislation allows for a fire authority to establish a taxing district. However, it said nothing about returning money currently being spent on fire services to the taxpayer.
This process is mainly about giving the fire service another deep pocket that they can reach into and enriching the cities to the tune of millions of dollars per year. Prior to the great recession some fire districts budgets were increasing at about 10 percent per year and now some appear to be in the 6 to 7 percent rate even with minimal inflation.
Wil Nelson
Mill Creek
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