In the May 19 election, South Lane County Fire & Rescue will have another go at trying to pass a new fire levy. It’s the same proposed tax increase rejected by voters last November.
Stephen Beach is a co-captain with South Lane County Fire & Rescue (SLCFR). But when he talks publicly about the fire levy, he’s the union representative for International Association of Fire Fighters Local 851.
Beach said in the last election, the union failed to educate residents of Cottage Grove and Creswell about the tax proposal. To clear up any misunderstanding, he firmly stated that his fire district does not receive city, county or state funding.
“We only receive funds from the community members who live in our fire district, which is 132 square miles,” he said.
In this go-round, voters will be asked to approve a five-year local option tax that would double the current rate, from 47 cents to 94 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, starting in July.
Beach said if the levy passes, all revenue would be used for increased staffing.
“More boots on the ground,” he said. “That’s the sole purpose of it.”
Beach recalled a few shifts ago, two calls came in at once. Crews were so thin, he said one captain had to respond to a structure fire all by himself.
“He had to be the engineer, the firefighter, officer in charge to try to mitigate the situation until the next apparatus showed up,” Beach said.
The problem, Beach said, is they “just don’t have enough bodies to provide adequate fire and rescue services to the community.”
SLCFR provides fire protection services spanning 132 square miles and emergency medical service coverage over 812 square miles, including Cottage Grove, Creswell, and rural South Lane County. The district responds to more than 5,500 calls each year and serves more than 33,000 residents.
The fire district has not increased its local option tax rate since it was first approved by voters in 2012. Since then, the number of emergency calls has increased by more than 60%, while the number of emergency responders–those “boots on the ground” Beach referred to–had only grown by 16%, according to fire district officials.
If Measure 20-383 is approved in May, the fire district estimates the tax would bring in about $13 million over five years. If the measure fails, the current rate of 47 cents per $1,000 of assessed value would remain in effect until it expires in June 2028.
And then, Beach said, reductions would start - including cutting ambulance service. If that happened, he said the district would only be able to staff one of its four fire stations. Then, more staffing reductions would follow due to the lost revenue of the ambulance business.
“We’re at the point where we can’t do anything more with the levy that we have,” Beach said, “so we have to go for another levy, to get more boots on the ground to provide better services to the community.”
There will be two fire station meet and greets to talk about the fire levy, one on April 29 in Cottage Grove and another on April 30 in Creswell. Both events are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
