Politics & Government

East Pierce Fire and Rescue Chief: Milton Annexation Won't Impact Current Levels of Service

Chief Jerry Thorson seeks to reassure residents within Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 22 that Proposition No. 1 is merely a formalization of existing service already provided to Milton and won't change service levels or tax rates.

The addition of the city of Milton into the service area of Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 22 (East Pierce Fire and Rescue) will not change tax rates that district residents are already paying and will not change current levels of service.

That's the message that Fire Chief Jerry Thorson wants to get across the voters as they receive their ballots from the Pierce County Auditor's Office beginning today, April 5.

The reason: Milton is no stranger to East Pierce Fire and Rescue, having been engaged in an operational agreement with the district since Jan. 2011 to receive both fire and EMS services, according to a district statement last week.

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"We're already providing that level of service up there," Thorson said. "The annexation then provides additional revenue for us to maintain that high level of service," and Milton residents will get to have a say in district issues.

In fact, the annexation vote was delayed for several years because about 10 percent of Milton sits in King County, and jurisdiction issues needed to be resolved in Olympia first, he said.

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East Pierce, made up from the merging of six or seven smaller fire districts, is currently overseen by eight fire commissioners - a remnant of those mergers. Normally, fire districts are governed by a board of either 3, 5, or 7 commissioners - decided by voters - Thorson said. For East Pierce, they are working through statutory requirements that dictate an attrition process to bring the number back down to five, which is what is mandated. However, there has been discussion to ask voters to approve expanding the board officially to seven, he said.

What voters won't be seeing on their ballots any time soon from East Pierce, however, are any further requests for tax increases, Thorson said.

The district is at its statutory maximum already, levying the full $1.50/$1,000 assessed value for fire services, Thorson said. Two years ago, voters OK'd not only renewing a 50 cents/$1,000 EMS levy but also a maintenance and operations levy to help cover revenue lost during the worst of the recession.

Funds from the EMS levy make it possible for East Pierce to be able to transport in-district residents to local hospitals with no out-of-pocket expenses, Thorson said. The district will either bill the patient's insurance if they have insurance; and if they don't, the levy covers that cost.

First responders have long encouraged local residents not to hesitate to call for an ambulance if they sensed something was wrong. The service, while not unique in Pierce County, still provides a contrast to transport services provided by some districts in nearby King County - where out-of-pocket transport costs do trickle down to the patient, he said.

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