Camas — The East County Fire and Rescue Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to place a one-year fire levy lid lift on the August primary election ballot, which, if approved, would allow the district to restore the levy rate for emergency services to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The levy rate for 2019 is at $1.16 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to a release from the department. State law allows fire districts to set 1 percent revenue increases per year, but the raw amount of money incoming has declined with inflation and rising property values.
As those costs rose, the levy rate declined to not exceed that 1 percent limit.
The district attempted to run a levy lid lift in November, but it failed with 53.38 percent of voters coming out against the tax increase.
The failure of the lid lift led commissioners to terminate an interlocal agreement with the city of Camas for shared service of Camas-Washougal Fire Department Chief Nick Swinhart back in January.
The last time voters in East County Fire and Rescue approved a fire levy lid lift was in 2008, according to a release from the department.
