Central Pierce Fire & Rescue ............................. 92

Special Election - Proposition No. 2 - Re-authorizing Fire Benefit Charge

Complete resolution text at PierceCountyElections.org

Ballot Title

Shall Central Pierce Fire & Rescue be re-authorized to continue voter-authorized benefit charges each year for six consecutive years, not to exceed an amount equal to sixty percent of its operating budget, and be prohibited from imposing an additional property tax under RCW 52.16.160?

Explanatory Statement

The Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) has been in place throughout the District since 1991 and currently provides 36% of Central Pierce Fire & Rescue’s operating budget. Every six years, approval to continue the use of the FBC funding model is required by state law. Support of the FBC for another six years will allow CPFR to maintain response times and service levels for fire protection and emergency medical aid calls.

The FBC is calculated based on occupancy type and square footage of structures. It reflects a direct and proportional assessment of the cost of providing appropriate fire protection services. Each year the Board of Commissioners reviews the FBC in a public hearing to ensure fiscal responsibility of this funding for the coming year. Revenue derived from the FBC is restricted by state law to not exceed 60% of CPFR’s operating budget. When the FBC is in place, state law prohibits imposing an additional property tax of fifty (50) cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value for fire protection services otherwise allowed by law. The District allows certain discounts for senior citizens and for buildings with approved fire sprinkler systems.

Statement For

Yes! Support our Firefighters.

Central Pierce Firefighters respond to many different types of emergencies each day. Incident volume increased by 17% over the last year.

Firefighters will be responding to nearly 100 incidents per day by the end of 2022. The District is planning to add resources as funds allow to address this increase in incident volume.

Yes! Funding the Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) needs to be reauthorized and renewed.

This is not a new charge, but simply a required vote to maintain the current funding model. Central Pierce continues to manage our tax dollars efficiently while delivering superior emergency services to our communities.

Statement Against

No statement was submitted against this issue.

Yes! Keep critical fire operations fully funded and address increased demands.

The Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) accounts for about 36% of the District’s operating budget. Failure to reauthorize and renew this funding will result in fewer firefighters available to respond to incidents and longer response times.

Committee Members: Brian Kingery, Heather Shadko hozehauler@q.com 93