BRIER — Possible permanent consolidation of fire and emergency medical services between Mountlake Terrace and Snohomish County Fire District 1 has Brier needing to decide quickly what it will do for future service.
Brier officials must resolve whether they will contract for fire and EMS services from the district along with Terrace or get its protection from somewhere else.
While Brier’s fire/EMS contract with Mountlake Terrace doesn’t end until 2005, the contract also states that if Mountlake Terrace does decide to consolidate with District 1 before that, Brier’s contract is terminated.
If adopted, Mountlake Terrace’s contract with the district will start Jan. 1, 2004 (SEE RELATED STORY). District 1 has served Mountlake Terrace and Brier under a trial agreement since March 2001.
Brier Mayor Wayne Kaske said he believes his council is ready for a change but he’s not convinced that they are ready for a long-term commitment until they have seen more of what would be happening with District 1’s Hill Top station (station 22) rebuild/relocation.
If Mountlake Terrace goes through with the contract with the district, officials there have also said they will close down the second Mountlake Terrace fire station (station 18) which currently covers the city of Brier.
If Brier decides to contract for its fire/EMS service from the district as well, then District 1 firefighters will respond out of station 18 until the district’s new station 22 is built and then all responses to Brier would be done through that station.
According to District 1 Fire Chief Jack McArthur, the new station 22 is planned to be built in the vicinity of Larch and Poplar Way.
“We’ve known for years that without Brier, Mountlake Terrace doesn’t need station 18,” Kaske said, “but this Council is more interested in where exactly will the new station 22 be located.”
Kaske said the major concern comes down to money.
Currently Brier property owners pay $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed property value for their fire/EMS service from Mountlake Terrace. Brier currently pays Mountlake Terrace about $630,000 annually for service, Kaske said it would probably be another $100,000 on top of that to contract with the district. While nothing has yet been negotiated, Kaske said, he believes it would cost closer to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value to contract for service from the fire district.
“So we’re looking at quite an increase,” he said. “Mountlake Terrace has fire trucks and personnel to negotiate with, so they don’t have to make quite that jump. We just have a need for fire/EMS service.”
Currently Brier receives 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for its EMS levy. The rest of the money paid for fire/EMS service comes out of the general fund.
Kaske said Brier officials could increase a utility tax, cut other areas of the budget or ask the voters to approve another property tax to cover the extra cost.
Or, Brier could opt to buy Mountlake Terrace’s station 18 and run their own fire/EMS service. But this, Kaske said, would be so much more expensive that Brier may never recoup the money.
While they haven’t had talks with any other jurisdiction for fire/EMS service, Kaske said one of the only other options for Brier would be to contract for fire/EMS service from Lynnwood.
“Our options are limited on where we can go for these services – no doubt” Kaske said.
McArthur said that separating the two stations (18 and 22) is an opportunity for everyone.
“It would make the Brier station closer to Brier,” he said.
But a new station can’t be provided if there is only a short term agreement with Brier, he said. Brier would need to commit to a long term contract to benefit from a new station.
McArthur said the district will go out to bid for the new station in 2004.
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