A key decision point for the Edmonds City Council as it addresses the city’s budget crisis is what to do about fire and emergency medical services. Councilmembers will learn more about the city’s options during their Tuesday, April 16 meeting, when Fitch and Associates presents its fire services feasibility assessment report.

During its budget deliberations last fall, the council approved $44,500 from its 2023 contingency fund for the Fitch assessment. The consultant has evaluated the current fire service delivery models and will share its findings on the efficacy of three options for the city:

1) Joining the existing South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue Regional Authority (RFA)

2) Bringing back the city’s own fire department.

3) Entering into a contractual relationship with another fire services provider (in the case of the Fitch report, Shoreline Fire).

In December 2023, South County Fire put Edmonds on notice that the agency intends to terminate the current interlocal agreement for fire and EMS services effective Dec. 31, 2025. The city currently pays South County Fire $12 million annually for these services.

While the present contract between the city and South County Fire still has seven years remaining, a key provision allows either party to terminate by giving the other two years’ notice. That gives Edmonds until the end of 2025 to put in place a new plan for fire and EMS services.

The current 20-year contract was executed in 2010. Since that time a range of factors — including increased traffic, higher density, population growth and higher labor costs (largely the result of new labor contract agreements) — have driven up the cost of providing these services, South County Fire says.

South County Fire in 2017 reorganized into what is now the South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue Regional Authority. As a fire authority, the agency can be funded directly through property taxes rather than receive payment from the individual jurisdictions that contract for fire and EMS services. In essence, this means that property owners would fund the RFA directly, rather than pay taxes to the city, which would use these funds to pay for emergency and fire services from the RFA. To move from an individual contract to being part of the RFA, voters in each jurisdiction need to approve this change. So far, the cities of Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Brier and Mountlake Terrace have voted to join the RFA.

In other business, the council is scheduled to potentially take action on a city code amendment regarding critical aquifer recharge areas (CARAs), which are established to protect groundwater and public drinking supplies from potential contamination and to ensure adequate groundwater availability. CARAs are treated as critical areas under the state’s Growth Management Act, and there are two locations in Edmonds where the Olympic View Water and Sewer District has drinking water wells. These wells — Deer Creek Springs near the Town of Woodway and at 228th Street Southwest — supplement the drinking water that Olympic View purchases from the City of Seattle. Read more in our report of the March 19 council meeting here (scroll to bottom).

The council will also hear a proclamation regarding Earth Day 2024, and as part of its consent agenda will consider the appointment of several volunteers to various city boards and commissions. The council will meet those potential appointees during a 6 p.m. special meeting Tuesday that precedes the 7 p.m. regular business meeting. You can see the special meeting agenda here.

The business meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the council chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave. N., in downtown Edmonds. You can also view the meeting and comment virtually using the Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/95798484261. Or comment by phone at US: +1 253 215 8782. The webinar ID is  957 9848 4261.

Regular council meetings are streamed live on the Council Meeting webpage (where you can see the complete agenda), Comcast channel 21, and Ziply channel 39.