Three Skagit County fire districts are asking voters in the Nov. 5 general election for permission to raise their levy lids, allowing them to collect more money for services.
Fire District 8, which surrounds Sedro-Woolley and extends to Hamilton, is asking voters for permission to raise its tax levy lid from 97 cents to $1.25 per $1,000 in assessed property value.
The last time the district went to voters to raise the levy rate was in 1984, when it wanted to build two new fire stations, Chief Rusty Feay said.
“We’ve actually been going backwards a little bit,” Feay said. “We need to address some issues.”
Those issues include mold and rot in those stations, he said.
The district is not looking to buy new equipment, just to keep what it has in good order, he said. The department last bought trucks in 1999, 2000 and 2012.