Voters rejecting EMS levy for Clallam County Fire District 2

Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The emergency medical services levy for Clallam County Fire District 2 appears to be failing after initial ballots were counted Tuesday night.

Proposition 1, which seeks a 10-year EMS levy at a rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, had 55.18 percent (682 votes) cast in favor of it and 44.82 percent (554 votes) against. The measure requires a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

Because the EMS levy is the first one the district has brought to voters, it had another threshold for passing which has not yet been met. There needed to be 40 percent voter turnout of the last primary election’s turnout to validate the measure, which amounts to about 1,500 ballots cast from voters within the fire district.

That level has not been met, Fire Chief Jake Patterson said Wednesday.

“If it doesn’t pass, we’re not going to be able to increase our staffing or be able to hire more firefighters,” Patterson said. “It’s a dedicated funding source for EMS.”

The district also was planning to implement a new billing matrix, which would see residents of the fire district not paying for ambulance transports. Right now, when the district transports anyone by ambulance, it bills that person’s insurance, and then the patient is billed for whatever insurance doesn’t cover.

If the EMS levy passes, the district would be able to write off the amount that is billed to those who live within the fire district boundaries.

“It would be used for EMS capital replacement purchases as well,” Patterson said.

The levy was expected to raise about $1.2 million a year for the district, which covers 85 square miles and an estimated 9,800 residents from Deer Park to Lake Sutherland, wrapping around the city of Port Angeles, which runs its own fire department.

The district plans to try the levy on the ballot again in November.

“Since it appears it’s not going to be successful, the district board of commissioners had already submitted a provisional resolution to place it on the general ballot,” Patterson said. “If it does pass, we can call up the elections office and say ‘pull that provisional measure.’”

If the EMS levy does go on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, it would still need a 60 percent supermajority to pass and 40 percent of last November’s voter turnout to cast ballots in order to validate the measure, Patterson said.

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.