Chelan County Commissioners Hear Presentation on Tax Package for Planned Chelan/Douglas Combined Fire Authority

The Chelan County Commission is taking an interest in a tax increase being jointly proposed for a public vote by Chelan County 1 and Douglas County 2 fire districts.

Commissioners heard a presentation on what the increase would mean by County Assessor Deanna Walter Monday.

She said it's important to realize that while the new tax rate increase would simply return it to the same level where it was for Chelan County in 2018, the fire districts never received less money.

"If there's any district that says 'we are getting less money now than we were five years ago, that is categorically incorrect," said Walter. "The districts are never shorted, ever."

She said even if a taxing district - Chelan County 1 or Douglas County 2 - did not file with the county assessor, it would still get the same amount of money ir received the previous year.

The fire districts plan is to ask voters in both districts for a joint property rate hike under a single department as a regional fire authority.

Walter says the increase would be bigger in Douglas County, where property owners currently pay slightly less in fire district taxes.

But tax payers in each county would be paying the same rate moving forward.

"The end result is a dollar fifty in a newly formed RFA, Regional Fire Authority, they're going to be paying the same amount for the same value home in both counties," Walter said.

Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay called for the  presentation from Walter on the fire districts proposal after hearing an interview on KPQ with Fire Chief Brian Brett, who currently overseas both the Chelan 1 and Douglas 2 districts.

Overbay said it was best to get familiar with the tax increase proposal because he felt commissioners and county staff members would be asked about it by voters.

Any tax district can propose a rate increase without informing the county.

Walter said the districts have a separate source of income, in addition to property tax, from county entities who are exempt from property taxes.

In Chelan County, those include entities such as Wenatchee Valley College, the city, Central Washington Hospital and the Town Toyota Center, which have separate fire contracts that require them to pay for service. 

If the rate increase passes, the combined regional fire authority would be recognized at the beginning of next year

If voters reject the plan, the fire districts will separately ask them to approve rate hikes in 2023

Douglas County Fire District 2 is completing construction of a fire station in Rock Island, but says it needs the rate hike to staff it

Chelan County Fire District 1 wants the rate hike in order to finish current projects and reestablish its funding

Both districts are planning to individually ask voters to approve a property tax increase to $1.50 per $1,000 per assessed value.

Jointly, they also plan to ask for the same increase

In Douglas County, where homeowners currently pay $1.29 per $1,000, the increase would amount to $8.50 per month on a house worth $500,000

In Chelan County, where the rate is $1.32 per $1,000, the increase would be about $7.90 per month on a house appraised at the same value.

The intension now is to get the joint rate hike approved by commissioners in both fire districts before May 1, so ballot language can be sent to county assessors with plenty of time for them to review it before the August election

A joint meeting of Chelan and Douglas county fire commissioners is planned for next Tuesday, April 19th at 5 pm

A regional fire authority would cover all of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee and stretch from Rock Island and Malaga to Sunnyslope and Lincoln Rock State Park.