As a fire chief, I believe it is very important that the citizens of our great community be fully informed on important issues. In past weeks, several pieces of information regarding Fire District 4’s ambulance and paramedic levy have been published that were either unclear or inaccurate. In a few brief paragraphs, I would like to share information to help voters make an informed decision about the future funding of ambulance services and paramedic services in the City of Snohomish and the surrounding area.
Because of an oversight on my part, the fire district was not able to publish an explanatory statement in the Snohomish County Voters Pamphlet. This has created a void in accurate information to our public regarding the use and changes surrounding the funding of emergency medical services.
On Tuesday’s ballot, Fire District 4 is asking voters to approve a permanent levy to provide ambulance and paramedic services to the community. The current emergency medical levy is 22 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. If this issue fails, funding for the service will cease after the current levy expires on Dec. 31.
The fire district is proposing to restore the ambulance levy to 25 cents per $1,000. Additionally, it is asking voters to approve an additional 25 cents per $1,000 to fund paramedic advanced life support services. The total levy being requested is 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
Fire District 4 currently does not have its own paramedics in the community. Proposition 1 is being offered to provide stable funding for ambulance services to continue and also to hire our own community paramedics and place them in our fire stations.
If approved by voters, the cost for the entire levy for the average homeowner would be less than $118 per year. The average homeowner currently pays around $4.40 per month for emergency medical services. Approving the proposed ambulance and paramedic levy would increase that amount to around $9.80 per month.
The fire district apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding stemming from previous information that has been published. Please feel free to contact us about any questions you may have.
Robert A. Merritt
Chief, Fire District 4
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