South County Fire’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a balanced budget that funds emergency services operations for 2025. According to a news release from the fire agency, residents of the Regional Fire Authority (RFA) are expected to see little or no change to current tax rates.
The $116 million operating budget funds current levels of emergency services and includes a 2.6% increase in property tax collections, lower than the current rate of inflation, the news release said. The overall property tax levy rate for residents is expected to be unchanged.
Commissioners also approved a 2% increase in the RFA’s benefit charge. Due to updates in benefit charge distribution for commercial properties, residential properties are expected to see no measurable increase, South County Fire said.
The benefit charge was approved by South County Fire voters in 2020 and renewed for 10 years in August 2024. Unlike levies based on a property’s assessed value, the benefit charge is based on a building’s size, risks and hazards.
Industrial and commercial properties with higher risk pay more than residential properties. That’s because it takes fewer firefighters and fire engines to put out a fire in a house than a large commercial structure.
With the benefit charge, the maximum fire levy is reduced. The benefit charge is set each year by the Board of Fire Commissioners. In 2024, the owner of a 2,000-square-foot home paid a fire benefit charge of $71.64, which amounts to $1.27 total increase over four years.
“We work for our residents and businesses,” Fire Chief Bob Eastman said. “We answer to you and our budget is responsible to you. We are very thankful to be able to deliver a budget that keeps the impact to our taxpayers below inflation and also ensures you continue receiving excellent fire and emergency medical services.”
South County Fire also provided the following questions and answers as part of the news release:
How have my taxes for fire and emergency medical services (EMS) changed over the years?
South County Fire’s long-term planning and conservative approach to funding has allowed property tax increases to remain below the rate of inflation since the RFA formed. The average yearly property tax increase since 2018 is below 1%.
Why am I charged fire taxes based on my land value, when my house is the only thing that needs to be protected?
Washington State law establishes property taxes as one of the primary ways public fire services can be funded. As a Regional Fire Authority, South County Fire is only allowed to levy property taxes based on assessed property value: an EMS levy up to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value and a fire levy up to $1.50 per $1,000 or assessed property value.
The maximum fire levy is reduced by a third – down to $1.00 per $1,000 or assessed property value – with the addition of a voter-approved benefit charge. State law limits yearly property tax increases to 1% per year plus new construction collections. In years where the 1% increase is not used, that taxing capacity can be “banked” for possible use in the future.
Property values can be appealed and homeowners can also request a property tax exemption through the Snohomish County Assessor’s Office.
What is a benefit charge?
The benefit charge, renewed by voters in 2024, provides a fair and balanced way to distribute emergency service costs. Unlike traditional levies based on a property’s value, this fee is based on building size, use and hazards. That means residential homeowners typically pay less than higher risk industrial or commercial buildings. With the benefit charge, the maximum fire levy is reduced by a third.
Who is impacted by the levy rates and benefit charge?
The levy rates and benefit charge apply to properties within the RFA, which includes the cities of Brier, Lynnwood, Mill Creek and Mountlake Terrace along with communities in unincorporated southwest Snohomish County. The City of Edmonds contracts with the RFA to provide emergency services and collects its own taxes and fees to pay for the services provided by the RFA.
Why does the 2025 budget refer to a deficit?
South County Fire does not have an operational deficit. This language in the 2025 budget refers to planned deficit spending.
Operational deficit: suggests ongoing revenues are insufficient to fund current-year operating costs.
Planned deficit spending: one-time spending using one-time funding that may not be reflected in revenues from the current year.
The planned deficit spending for 2025 is largely offset by underspending and includes a one-time transfer of funding for future maintenance of apparatus, equipment and fire stations. It also includes establishment of a “rainy day” fund (revenue stabilization reserve) to help ensure residents continue receiving emergency services in the event of a disaster, economic downturn or fiscal emergency.
South County Fire’s financial policy prohibits one-time funding resources from being used for ongoing expenditures (costs that reoccur each year).
Have other questions about the budget? South County Fire recommends visiting www.southsnofire.org/budget.
The RFA is using sleight of hand when they say they have kept annual increases at the 1% level as allowed by the State. What they don’t say is they have used annexation as the means to circumvent the 1% cap. Just ask residents of Mill Creek, Brier, Mountlake Terrace about how their fire/ems costs rose by 50-70% after annexation. The same thing will happen to Edmonds residents – as they are facing a 65% post-annexation price increase in 2026, and an almost $1,000 increase in taxes for no change in service. Ask the RFA why they raised Edmonds’ contract price by 50% between 2019 and 2023. Ask them why their Top 50 employees make between $236,000 and $350,000 per year? Ask them why they spend $750,000 per year to cross-train firefighters to be paramedics and then dispatch fire trucks and 10-12 firefighters for 911 medical calls – which are 85% of all 911 calls? The Nat’l Institute of Health recommends 2-4 paramedics for a cardiac event! Ask them why they pay for so much overtime, when fire suppression response is 15% of all 911 calls? Ask them why they never report on performance metrics like costs per capita or cost per 911 fire call vs. medical call? Ask them why taxpayers are an afterthought to their full employment plan for their union staff?
While it’s easy to throw around accusations and paint a bleak picture, let’s set the record straight. The claim that the RFA is using annexation to sidestep the 1% cap is not only misleading but overlooks the complexities of funding fire and emergency services. Annexation has preserved service quality and maintained stable tax rates for members of the RFA. Edmonds is not alone in the region in facing a large deficit (Mukilteo and Everett both have large looming structural deficits with degrading service quality).
Criticizing the RFA for salary levels of employees without realizing the Mr. Krepick has deliberately inflated his reporting of wages is disingenuous, to say the least. The average negotiated wage for a firefighter is $145,000 – only slightly higher than the average household income in Edmonds. These positions require specialized skills, and competitive salaries are necessary to attract and retain qualified personnel in a field where lives are on the line.
The assertion about the training costs and resource allocation for medical calls also lacks nuance. Effective emergency response requires a well-trained team, and dispatching appropriate resources based on the nature of the call is not a wasteful practice; it’s a strategic one aimed at saving lives. If you are a concerned citizen and want facts instead of curated misinformation you can visit edwafirefuture.info for further information.