Committee looks at Evergreen Fire funding needs

In the wake of a failed levy vote in April, the Evergreen Fire District Board of Trustees has created a district community committee that will meet monthly through the end of the year to figure out ways to increase revenue for its operations.

According to a letter from Jack Fallon, a district trustee who wasn’t in favor of the last levy proposal, the goal of the meetings is to inform the public about the district, taxpayer expectations, district funding and finances, district needs and strategies for the future, costs and options for another ballot measure.

The board voted at its June 7 meeting to form the committee and will hold its first meeting at 6 p.m., Monday, July 23 at Evergreen Fire Station 81.

Fallon expects the meeting to last about 90 minutes.

He also indicated future meetings will be held Monday evenings or Tuesdays around noon.

In an email, Fallon said the first meeting would include information about the area that Stations 81 and 82 covers, the age and experience and firefighters, the equipment that is used and training efforts and the types of calls the department receives.

“Because of the many different work schedules and time limitations, meetings will occur on different days and times. All will be set before we begin,” Fallon said in the letter. “For example we may have some meetings on a Monday evening (beginning at 6 or 7 p.m.) and some meetings on a Tuesday mid-day (beginning at 11:30 a.m. or noon).”

Fallon also said the district will provide food at the meetings. He hopes Evergreen residents will attend as many meetings as possible.

The Evergreen Fire District provides both fire protection and ambulance service.

Board chairman Brodie Verworn said they welcome the meetings in the hope of educating the public on why they need increased funding.

“Our call volume has increased dramatically over the last several years as the valley has grown and our hope is to educate the public about our immediate and long-term needs,” Verworn said. “The cost of equipment and training new firefighters just keeps increasing.

“Some have commented about the costs, but we believe it’s also fair for people to make a living wage, to be able to pay their bills,” Verworn said.

Verworn said Evergreen business owners have been invited to be part of the process.

“We wanted it to be a larger group than last time. We believe once the public is properly educated, they’ll be more in favor of what we’re talking about,” Verworn said.

Evergreen voters rejected the previous levy proposal of 70.63 mills in an April 10 vote.

Evergreen Fire trustees voted to float the levy request beginning at about $1.15 million and increasing by 3 percent per year. The levy would have increased property taxes on a home within the district by $168 annually for a home valued at $200,000.

The current levy expires June 30, 2019. It provides about $134,600 for the 2018 fiscal year. The district also has a permanent levy for fire protection, which provides $204,000 for the 2018 fiscal year. The district’s state funding is $41,000 for fiscal year 2018.