The Wenatchee Valley Fire Department is holding a public meeting this afternoon to discuss a proposed change to the fire tax paid by homeowners and businesses.
The fire levy across the board would be reduced from $1.50 to $1.00 per $1,000 of assessed property value, but a “fire benefit charge” would be added.
Fire Chief Brian Brett says they've compiled a draft database of the charge, which is based on the square footage of each structure and the time it would take to fight a fire in that building. "It's a fairer way of charging for burnable property instead of blindly charging on assessed valuation alone," said Brett.
The change would lower the fire tax paid by residential homeowners and increase the tax on large commercial buildings, according to Brett.
He says bigger commercial structures require far more resources and deserve to pay a bigger tax.