The special election over a proposal to create a regional fire authority in Central Grays Harbor has returned a solid no-vote, with the majority of ballots counted by the county auditor.
Department and union leadership are dismayed by the outcome.
“Obviously disappointed,” said Hoquiam Fire Chief Matt Miller in a phone interview. “For myself and a few other people this is five years of work and planning that have culminated in a no-vote.”
Grays Harbor isn’t the only special election for an RFA proposal that voters pushed back on: Olympia and Tumwater’s proposed RFA was also defeated by a large percentage. Both elections had relatively low turnout, neither making it above the 30% threshold.
“Yes, it is disappointing. I thought we had a good package put together for the public to vote it,” said Aberdeen Fire Chief Dave Golding in a phone interview. “They saw it a different way. That’s the process we go through.”
Central Grays Harbor Professional Firefighters Local 315 President Ryan Cline said he was disappointed by the low turnout.
“I think people don’t understand the improvement that would come along with this. It’s investment for the future,” Cline said in a phone interview. “It’s a grind. It sucks. But we’ll figure it out.”
In total, 3,328 yes or no votes were registered on Wednesday morning, with 1,952 of those votes, about 58%, were cast against, while 1,376 votes, about 42%, were cast in support of the proposal.
“This round, there was a lot of contention bringing in the city of Cosmopolis. There was a lot of talk about the cost,” Miller said. “I don’t know if all of our efficiencies that we talked about were fully understood. Efficiencies in expenditures, efficiencies in response, efficiencies in operations.”
The departments are going to take some time to focus on themselves, Miller said.
“All three departments need to focus on our internal operations,” Miller said. “We also need to focus on what we can do as individual departments to help our citizens and communities.”
The departments will still keep working together to serve the public, but with less coordination than the RFA would have allowed, Miller said. Golding said the departments are going to have to take a hard look at their future operations as costs and call volumes keep climbing.
“Can we sustain our operations the way we do now?” Golding said. “Do we decrease the services we offer? Or do we raise rates to maintain what we do now?”
Miller said the departments will take apart their plans and examine them.
“We’ll keep moving forward. There has been a lot of good ideas and thoughts that came out of our planning. We won’t be under the same umbrella,” Miller said. “It won’t be all as one. It won’t be as efficient. It won’t be as cost-effective. But we’ll keep trying to move forward.”
Cline said while the union regarded an RFA as the best plan going forward, it will continue to look toward the future.
“We will go back to the table and we will continue to make that plan,” Cline said. “I think consolidation in the future is the best plan for the community.”
While Miller said he wouldn’t rule out another attempt in the future, it won’t be anytime soon.
“You get three times to run a plan before you have to start over from scratch,” Miller said. “I don’t see us pursuing it in another version any time soon. I won’t say never but I don’t see anytime soon.”
Golding said they need to rethink any plan before bringing it to the public again.
“We need to meet those demands the public is putting on us, one way or the other,” Golding said. “If we do decide to try again, it’s going to be really from scratch.”
The departments will work on reconciling the differences between intent and capability moving forward.
“We’d have to go back to the drawing board and find what might work for the public. That’s a decision to be made in the future,” Golding said. “Give us some time to regroup and figure out what we’re able to do.”
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.
