PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council on Monday night agreed to explore the proposal to create a regional fire authority that would consolidate fire and emergency services throughout East Jefferson County.
This follows a recommendation made June 15 by a joint board with members of both the Port Townsend City Council and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue board, favoring the creation of a regional fire authority as a preferred option over annexation of the city into East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.
After the plan is developed, it or annexation must be approved by the voters prior to October 2011 to provide uninterrupted services to all areas.
The advantage of exploring the creation of a regional agency is that the plan can morph into one for annexation which cannot happen the other way around, according to City Council member David King.
An added advantage is the ability to incorporate input from other local governing bodies such as the Jefferson Healthcare hospital board, King said.
Unanimous vote
The vote to support exploring a regional fire authority was unanimous, something that East Jefferson Fire-Rescue Chief Gordon Pomeroy said earlier he did not expect.
Pomeroy attended the council meeting, although he did not stay for the late-evening discussion of the proposed fire authority because of a previous commitment.
Once the plan is submitted, it must be separately approved by both the City Council and the East Jefferson Fire Board before it appears before the voters.
If approved, the regional fire authority will most likely replace East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, according to City Attorney John Watts.
The process to create an authority operates independently of the proposal for voters within the city limit to approve a property tax levy lid lift in an Aug. 17 election.
That lift is considered to be a temporary solution and will no longer exist once a regional fire authority is created, according to City Manager David Timmons.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.