West Pierce Fire & Rescue Proposes an Improved Funding Plan for the Future
West Pierce Fire & Rescue seeks to replace its tax-based Maintenance & Operations (M&O) levy with a Fire Benefit Charge (FBC). Known as Proposition 1, the FBC will be on the November 5, 2024 ballot. An FBC is not a tax, but a fee based on square footage, property use, and fire risk factors. If the FBC is approved, it will lower regular property taxes and eliminate the current M&O Levy, which was approved by voters in 2023.
Fire Chief Jim Sharp said, “an FBC more fairly distributes costs for delivering fire protection services, based on a building’s size, use, and risk of fire rather than its assessed value, making it an equitable and more objective way to fund emergency services.”
An FBC is a fee based on how a property is used and the size of structures, not the property’s assessed value. It takes into consideration that those who benefit more from fire protection services (such as large structures and structures used in a manner that pose higher fire risk) should pay more for service than small buildings (such as single-family homes), as it generally costs less to protect a smaller structure during a fire or other emergency.
Chief Sharp stated, “Fires in large commercial and industrial buildings are extremely complicated, requiring significantly more time and resources to manage compared to a fire in a residential home. The amount a property owner pays the fire department should reflect this disparity.”
Since an FBC is calculated using measurable factors such as square footage and how the property is used, two residential homes with the same square footage would pay the same amount in FBC, regardless of their assessed value. With an FBC, larger commercial and industrial properties would generally pay more to the fire department. In contrast, the majority of homeowners would pay less.
“It’s a fairer way of charging for fire department services. An FBC utilizes a formula to calculate the resources necessary to control a fire in a given structure, rather than simply using an arbitrary measurement such as assessed value,” said Chief Sharp.
Numerous fire departments across the state use an FBC. In Pierce County, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, Graham Fire & Rescue and Orting Valley Fire & Rescue utilize an FBC.
If voters approve Proposition 1, 2025 property taxes will be reduced by eliminating the District’s current four-year M&O levy and reducing the statutory rate of the Regular Levy by 33%.