Whitefish EMS ballots in the mail

Ballots for a tax levy to provide around-the-clock emergency medical services in Whitefish will be mailed today to city residents.

The proposed tax would fund fire and ambulance service staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A levy request is the only remaining option to pay for the expanded service, the City Council decided in May when it passed a resolution calling for the mail-in election.

The levy would add 24 mills to the city's current levy of 111 mills, raising $464,759 the first year. It would be an ongoing assessment, costing homeowners about $100 to $150 a year or more depending on the assessed value of their home.

A property owner whose home has an assessed value of $200,000 would pay $98 a year; those with $300,000 homes would be taxed about $147 annually.

The new tax revenue would allow the city to hire six additional firefighter/paramedics and expand the department to have three rotating shifts of four emergency-service workers on each shift, with two "floaters" to cover leave time.

Currently the department is staffed with the fire chief, fire marshal and eight firefighter/paramedics, allowing daily shift work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a call-out system during night hours.

The number of night calls has doubled in the last seven high-growth years in Whitefish, from 432 night calls in 2001 to a projected 860 night calls this year.

Whitefish Mayor Mike Jenson said the number of volunteer firefighters has dwindled not only in Whitefish but nationwide because of demanding work schedules and extensive training requirements.

It's been 40 years since the city has asked residents to increase their support for fire and ambulance service.

"The time has come for a full-time emergency services, fire and ambulance" department, he said.

Ballots are due at the county election department by Aug. 19.

Residents of Whitefish's two-mile planning "doughnut" will not receive ballots. They already had an increase from $55 to $90 per residence two years ago when the rural fire-service area contract was renegotiated with the city.

Whitefish will use money from bonding its tax-increment finance district to build a new $9.1 million emergency-services center on Baker Avenue across from Safeway. The city will seek bids for the project this winter, with construction expected to begin next spring.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com