Voters gave a thumbs up to East County Fire and Rescue (ECFR) in yesterday’s primary election.
With approximately 80 percent of the votes counted on Tuesday night, 59 percent of voters had approved ECFR’s proposition to restore levy rates to the $1.50 per $1,000 assessed property value (APV) rate originally approved by voters in 2008.
The current rate has dropped to $1.16 per $1,000 in APV, due to property values increasing and a “levy lid” or cap on the levy, meaning that a levy lid lift would cost property owners an additional 34 cents per $1,000 APV, per year. The proposed “lid lift” works out to an additional $12.75 a month for the owner of a $450,000 home.
In March, ECFR Fire Chief Mike Carnes told the Post-Record a levy lid lift was critical to helping the fire district, which responds to fire and emergency medical calls in rural areas north of Camas and Washougal, maintain its services.