Expand South Bay fire commission

Voters in rural areas north of Olympia are asked this fall to permanently increase the number of fire commissioners to five in Thurston County Fire District 8. That district grew to cover 32 square miles after District 7 voters agreed last fall to merge into District 8 and help cut costs using a consolidated operation.

Each former district had three elected commissioners. The newly formed larger district has operated this year with six – three from each territory.

By state law the new district would see its commission shrink to three members over time. But Proposition 1 uses a relatively new state law to ask voters if they would rather have five.

Having a five-member commission “was part of the promise of the merger vote,” said Camille Pedersen, one of the backers of District 8’s Proposition 1. Pedersen said a larger board allows better representation; she argues costs for extra commissioners won’t be much.

Fire District 7 had served neighborhoods to the west along Budd Inlet and north to Boston Harbor, while District 8 was centered in South Bay. District 7 voters feared they might lose their voice in the larger department after the merger, Pedersen says.

Glen Morgan, who co-authored a voters-pamphlet statement against Prop. 1, said three commissioners are enough to get the job done at less cost. Morgan raises a fair concern about added taxpayer costs such as a $114 daily stipend and costs for travel to conventions.

But the total added per diem cost for having two extra commissioners is capped at $21,888 yearly, according to Pedersen.

Fire chief Brian VanCamp said travel costs in 2015 have come to about $8,000. That is a small part of a $2.3 million to $2.5 million yearly budget for a district that has 11 paid staffers.

Given voters’ expectations going into the merger, it makes sense to give a five-member commission a try.

Griffin technology levy is reasonable

Ballot measures asking for taxpayer money are never a sure thing, except maybe in the Griffin School District. This year’s $1.1 million property tax proposal – Griffin Proposition 1 – didn’t even draw an opposing statement in the Thurston County voters’ pamphlet. It’s a reasonable proposal that deserves strong support.

The special levy is a two-year proposal that would collect 58.1 cents per $1,000 of property in the rural district located west of Olympia. That amounts to $116.20 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home, or $232.40 for a $400,000 property. The levy would be collected in 2016 and 2017, replacing a four-year tax for technology levy that expired in 2014.

The new taxes would pay for school safety improvements that include security cameras and updated alarm system, as well as automatic door locks, training, and technology to allow emergency lock downs. In this era of school shootings and other tragedies, these kinds of upgrades are smart.

But the largest share of the levy is for technology costs associated with sending high school students to the Olympia School District. Griffin is a K-8 district only, and as a feeder school is obligated to cover the per-student costs incurred by Olympia voters for technology improvements in the larger district. Those costs are roughly $350,000 in the current school year.

The tax measure also would pay for educational technology and other improvements as the school board finds them necessary.

If Prop. 1 passes, the total tax rate for Griffin properties including longer term bond debt would be approximately $4.26 per $1,000 of valuation, according to the district.

Vote for Griffin Prop. 1.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Expand South Bay fire commission."