South Beach voters will see a levy for the South Beach Regional Fire Authority on their primary ballot this month.
As Fire Authority Chief Dennis Benn explains, it’s a maintenance and operation levy that runs every year and allows additional funds for day-to-day operations of South Beach emergency responders.
“This is not a new levy,” said Benn. “It’s something that we have done every year, even prior to the formation of the Regional Fire Authority, to augment our funding to make this operation run.”
He added this was part of the plan approved by voters in 2017 to form the Regional Fire Authority.
On the ballot, voters will see “South Beach Regional Fire Authority Proposition No. 1, Excess Levy for Maintenance and Operations.”
It reads: “The Governing Board of the South Beach Regional Fire Authority adopted Resolution 2019-05, concerning a proposition to adequately finance maintenance and operation costs. The proposition provides for the support of fire protection and emergency medical services, facilities, maintenance, staffing and operations by authorizing the RFA to levy excess taxes in the amount of $591,000 in 2019 to be collected in 2020 at an approximate levy rate of $0.82 per thousand of assessed valuation (the actual rate will be based on assessed values).”
“This is our annual maintenance and operation levy we run every year, which the voters have approved every year,” said Benn. “It helps augment our Fire and EMS levies so we can continue providing service to the citizens of the county.”
The Fire Authority has been holding open houses to answer questions about the levy. There are three remaining:
• Saturday, July 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Westport fire station, 170 W. Spokane Ave., Westport.
• Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Cove fire station, 2829 State Route 105 in Grayland.
• Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ocosta fire station, 69 Johns River Rd., Aberdeen.
Attendees can learn about the levy, tour fire facilities, get important fire safety information, and more.
