WENATCHEE– In the hopes of creating a fairer way for the communities of Wenatchee to pay for crucial emergency services, the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department (WVFD) Board of Fire Commissioners has introduced a fire benefit charge to the upcoming primary election ballot.
The fire benefit charge is proposed to assist Wenatchee residents in paying for emergency services in a way that treats homeowners with increased fairness. This is done by charging residents for emergency services based on individualized calculations of each Wenatchee property. In this way, each Wenatchee homeowner needs only to pay for factors such as the size of their property rather than its value.
Fire Chief Brian Brett explained this important increase in fairness brought about by a fire benefit charge, saying, “Under a fire benefit charge, two houses of equal size pay the same. If you have a view or live on the waterfront, you will still pay the same as someone who doesn’t.”
Currently, the WVFD funds emergency services through a fire levy collected from property taxes. The fire levy is based only on a property's assessed value, resulting in two properties of the same size feasibly paying widely different charges despite the cost to protect both from fires being the same.
With the inclusion of a fire benefit charge, the current property tax levy is projected to decrease from $1.50 to $1.00 per $1000 of assessed value. The calculated fire benefit charge is then added to this value based on a property’s square footage, allowing smaller properties to pay inherently lower costs than larger industrial buildings.
WVFD provided an example of the effect that a fire benefit charge has on property taxes, using a Douglas County home as a model of comparison.
“In most cases, homeowners will pay the same or less than they do now for a 24-hour fire and EMS response. For example, in 2024, the owner of a 2,453 square-foot home in Douglas County, appraised at $651,800, paid a fire levy of $933.28. Under the proposed fire benefit charge, the owner would pay a total of $870.94 - a savings of $62.34.”
WVFD asks voters to approve this fire benefit charge during the August primary election. If approved, WVFD fire commissioners will publicly discuss and set the costs of the fire benefit charge each year.
Homeowners can already calculate a fire benefit charge estimated cost for their properties with the dedicated Fire Benefit Charge Calculator at wenatcheevalleyfire.org. To ask further questions, contact Fire Chief Brian Brett at bbrett@wvfire.org or (509) 662-4734.
Will Nilles: (509) 731-3211 or will@ward.media
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here