After deciding in May to move forward with two levy votes for the 2025 primary, Clallam County Fire District 3’s leaders have pivoted to split the proposals for voters’ consideration over two years.

Fire commissioners unanimously agreed on Aug. 20 to send a multi-year levy lid lift on Aug. 5, 2025, for only the General Levy, and to run an EMS levy lid lift renewal sometime in 2026.

Fire chief Justin Grider said in an interview that staff recommended pausing and reconsidering the timing of the ballot measures.

“We have time, and we did some poking around,” he said.

“(Consultant) Liz Loomis said she wouldn’t take us on as a client if we did both at the same time, and we thought maybe that’s some advice we should listen to.”

If a General Levy was renewed next year, it’d start collecting in 2026 and restore the General Levy to $1.50 per $1,000 assessed valuation to fund and maintain the district’s staffing levels and services, and help replace equipment and infrastructure, district officials report.

Currently, the district’s general levy is at $1.12 per $1,000 assessed value of a home.

Staff estimate the levy would cost a taxpayer approximately $17 more per month, based on a home valuation of $470,000.

The general levy would create about $3.9 million, or about a 38% increase over estimated property tax collection, with a Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflator used to calculate subsequent year property taxes.

Staff previously reported that the general levy makes up about two-thirds of the district’s budget, while the EMS levy is most of the other-third, minus timber revenues, donations, grants and chargers for service.

An EMS levy renewal in 2026 would tentatively request to move up to $0.50 per $1,000 assessed valuation from $0.35 per $1,000.

Voters in 2018 approved increasing the fire district’s general levy rate from $1.26 to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, and the EMS levy renewal in 2019 to go from $0.46 to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Grider said Clallam County Fire District 2’s two levies failing in the August primary wasn’t a major contribution to the decision but did help solidify what Loomis had advised to staff so that they should reconsider District 3’s approach.

In the next year, Grider said they’ll provide more information on the levy and district operations in their quarterly newsletter, on social media, and at public meetings for community groups.

“We want to make sure our folks know what they’re voting for,” Grider said.

Fire District 3 serves a 142-square mile district from Gardiner to Bagley Creek with 50 active firefighters who are on pace to respond to 9,000 emergency calls in 2024, a record.

For more information about Clallam County Fire District 3, visit ccfd3.org.