Jefferson Fire District says it will have to cut water rescue patrols if levy fails again
In November 2023, voters in the Jefferson Fire District rejected a proposed operations levy increase. The district is again asking voters to pass the annual levy of 81 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in the May 21 election.
If the levy fails this time, the result will be cuts in staffing and the water rescue program, district officials say.
The district covers 86 square miles in Marion and Linn counties, including the city of Jefferson west to the Willamette River and seven miles of Interstate 5. District leaders say the stretch of I-5 accounts for nearly 5% of the accidents on the freeway in Oregon and about 5% of the emergency responses it makes.
What will the Jefferson Fire District levy cost property owners?
Voters last November shot down the operations levy of 81 cents per $1,000, by 55% to 45%.
A homeowner with an assessed property value of $250,000, would pay an additional $107.50 a year.
The current levy, which expires June 30, is 38 cents per $1,000.
Instead of scaling back, the district decided to ask for the same amount.
“The reason we went for 81 cents is it’s what we need to operate, it’s not what we want,” Scio Fire Chief Levi Eckhardt said.
If the Jefferson Fire District levy passes, how will the money be used?
If the levy passes, the district would receive $3.67 million over the next five years, including $693,135 in the 2024-2025 budget year that begins July 1.
Eckhardt said the district’s call volume has increased from 1,260 in 2020 to 1,535 calls in 2023, necessitating the need for increased staffing.
“We want to hire three additional firefighter medics and that helps us staff our second out ambulance and advance life support,” he said.
Eckhardt said the district currently has three full-time firefighter/paramedics, three full-time administrative staff, 21 part-time firefighter/paramedics and about 25 volunteers.
Some of the money also would be used to purchase a new ambulance.
“We’re not trying to do something grand,” Eckhardt said.
What will happen if the Jefferson Fire District levy fails again?
If the levy fails, Eckhardt said the district will have to cut about $300,000 per year from its annual budget of $8.5 million by reducing the number of part-time firefighter/paramedics.
And the hours for the remaining part-time employees will have to be reduced, he said.
The fire district also will eliminate its water rescue team on the North Santiam River.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office has water rescue units. If Jefferson cuts its water rescue, Linn County would have to answer all the calls on that section of the North Santiam River.
Jefferson is a frequent spot to put boats in the river. According to fire district data, there were 23 calls for help on the river in 2020 and 2021, 15 in 2022, and 13 in 2023.
“There’s been times when we’ve had to bring in 20 some people off the water at a time,” Eckhardt said.
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Jefferson District Fire levy would allow more call responses
