The Marysville Fire District held an open house on March 26 to help inform residents about the upcoming vote in April to form a Regional Fire Authority.
Community members came down to the Shoultes station to meet firefighters and learn about the Regional Fire Authority (RFA) measure that residents of Marysville and Fire District 12 will vote on in the April 23 election.
Local officials decided to put the RFA measure on the ballot after years of budget deficits for the Marysville Fire District.
As the population grew in the fire district, calls also increased and strained the budget for fire and emergency services in the area.
“We’ve undergone a lot of change since we began as a joint operating district in 1992,” said Martin McFalls, Fire Chief for the district.
The number and types of calls have changed as well.
“Right now our crews are responding to the opioid epidemic, homelessness issues, and mental healthcare,” said McFalls.