Fire District 9 levy would maintain same tax rate

Spokane County Fire District 9 will ask voters next Tuesday to once again approve the majority of its operating budget through a special levy.

The levy provides the district 60 percent of its maintenance and operational costs, and must be approved by 60 percent of voters to pass. The other 40 percent of the operating budget comes from a regular levy, which is set and approved by the county assessor’s office and does not require voter approval.

The levy proposal renews the same tax rate as the current levy: $179 a year for a $100,000 home. The two-year tax has been renewed by voters for the past 26 years.

The levy provides for full-time staffing 24 hours a day, paramedic services and immediate incident response from the district’s four fire stations, which cover roughly 122 square miles of north-central Spokane County.

All that is in danger of being cut should the levy fail to pass, said Doug Bleeker, assistant district fire chief.