CHIMACUM — A structure fire, two medical calls and a vehicle rollover all in the space of an hour Tuesday night pressed East Jefferson Fire Rescue to the limits of its support capacity and provided the backdrop to a public hearing and Board of Commissioners meeting the following evening at which the district’s 2023 budget and straightened financial situation were front and center.
In a unanimous vote, commissioners approved the 2023 budget of $6,749,152 and a second 2023 budget of $13,912,729 that reflected East Jefferson’s anticipated merger with Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue on Jan. 1, 2023.
Commissioners also approved a property tax levy increase of 1 percent, which is the limit allowed under Washington state law.
Commissioners acknowledged that levy revenue would not meet present and anticipated expenses for hiring more firefighters and EMTs, addressing the backlog of delayed repairs on equipment and facilities, replacing fire engines and ambulances that have passed their useful lifespans and purchasing the nuts and bolts of effective fire operations, from gas detectors to nozzles and traffic cones.
“We have no fund to replace fire engines that are hugely expensive and best practice is to put a little away each year toward that and instead we’re using that for operations,” said Commissioner David Seabrook of District 1.
“And still deficit spending,” added District 5 Commissioner Deborah Stinson. “It’s just not sustainable.”
East Jefferson’s history of deficit spending has whittled away its reserves. It will begin 2023 with 49 percent in reserve funds and by the end of the year that will drop to 34 percent.
Seabrook said the commissioners likely will hold a meeting in early December to discuss placing a levy lid lift on the Feb. 14, special election ballot. The deadline for submitting a resolution to the Jefferson County auditor is Dec. 16.
Voters in the Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue district approved the merger in the Nov. 8 general election by 87.12 percent to 12.88 percent, according to the Jefferson County auditor’s most recent count on Friday.
Although the results aren’t official until the election is certified Nov. 29, the measure’s massive approval margin gave East Jefferson the confidence to move ahead preparing the two budgets.
Port Ludlow, which passed its budget Nov. 8, also has relied on deficit spending, spending down its reserves, putting off hiring, delaying maintenance and relying on aging ambulances and fire engines.
While the merger will result in some cost savings, said Bret Black, fire chief of both districts, it will not solve the underlying problem of underfunding that both share.
“There is nothing left to cut,” said Black of the budgets of both districts. “I want to commend the people who worked to put this budget together. There wasn’t any request for things that weren’t needed.”
Indeed, East Jefferson and Port Ludlow combined have about $1 million in outstanding needs that that won’t be able to be addressed in 2023.
Both districts have also experienced a sharp demand for services over 2021, which has put further pressure on the districts’ staffing and resources. Port Ludlow’s call volume, for example, has jumped 20 percent. That the district’s emergency personnel, volunteers and mutual aid partners acted quickly and effectively to respond to a cascade of calls Tuesday should not be taken as sign that a problem doesn’t exist.
“Our workload is exceeding capacity,” Black said.
One of the few pieces of good news reported at Wednesday’s meeting was the announcement that a ladder truck East Jefferson had purchased — used — was now in service at Station 16 in Port Townsend.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at Paula.Hunt@soundpublishing.com
