Measure Information - King County

August 19, 2008 Primary Election

SNOQUALMIE PASS FIRE & RESCUE

Super majority (RCW 52.81.050)

PROPOSITION NO. 1
AUTHORIZING BENEFIT CHARGES

Shall Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue be authorized to impose benefit charges each year for up to a six-year period, not to exceed an amount equal to sixty percent of its operating budget, and be prohibited from imposing an additional property tax under RCW 52.16.160?

YES
NO

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue provides emergency medical, and fire protection service to approximately 22 square miles of service area in King and Kittitas Counties. The District Board of Commissioners is requesting voter approval of a benefit charge.
A benefit charge is not a property tax. The benefit charge is a user fee designed to allocate the cost of the services provided by the District in reasonable proportion to the measurable benefit a property receives. The benefit charge will be based on a standard industry accepted formula that takes into consideration fire flows and the square footage of structures. In 2008, the benefit charge will be imposed only on commercial and multi-family housing properties for collection in 2009. In subsequent years the formula may be adjusted as necessary to provide for an appropriate level of services within the District.
The District Board of Commissioners has determined that a benefit charge, provides the fairest, most stable, reliable and cost effective method for financing the operations of the District and maintaining a satisfactory level of services.
The proposition requests voters to authorize the benefit charge for six years from 2008 through 2013. If approved by the voters, the benefit charge will be established by November 30th of each year for collection the following year. Prior to establishing the benefit charge each year, the District Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing and each year property owners will have the right to appeal the amount of the benefit charge.

Statement For

Our Fire Department has worked hard to find revenue sources that are more balanced, fair, and equitable than our current system. The Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) is the answer! The FBC will only be imposed on commercial and multi-family housing. Single-Family homes are not affected by the FBC charge!
The FBC will go towards continued essential services needed to serve our community such as equipment, training, and staffing.
The FBC is designed to use square footage, the type of structure, and number of stories to determine the amount of the fire and emergency services risk and therefore the fire benefit charge. For example, a home doesn’t have the same risk as a fourth story condo unit, or as a commercial occupancy.
Another important factor is there are structures that are not currently taxed because they are on public land, but they receive fire protection. These include cabins or commercial buildings on forest service land, county, and state owned buildings.
A public hearing regarding the FBC will be held on August 5, 6:30 PM at the Fire Station. Additional information, including the estimated cost that your property would be charged, can be found at www.snoqualmiepassfire.org/firebenefitcharge.htm. Please vote YES on August 19th!

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: Keri Spiliotis, Matt Karaus, Heather Dodd

Statement Against

No statement submitted.

Complete Text of Resolution

SNOQUALMIE PASS FIRE & RESCUE

RESOLUTION NO. 2008-03

INTENT TO IMPOSE BENEFIT CHARGE

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF SNOQUALMIE PASS FIRE & RESCUE PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BENEFIT CHARGE; PROVIDING FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE DISTRICT AT A SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD WITHIN THE DISTRICT ON AUGUST 19, 2008, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STATE PRIMARY ELECTION TO BE HELD ON THE SAME DATE, OF A PROPOSITION AUTHORIZING THE IMPOSITION OF A BENEFIT CHARGE ON PERSONAL PROPERTY AND IMPROVEMENTS TO REAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE DISTRICT FOR UP TO SIX YEARS; AND, CALLING A PUBLIC HEARING.

Background: WHEREAS, the District is authorized by chapter 52.18 RCW to establish, impose and collect a benefit charge on personal property and improvements to real property located within the District; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners has determined that the regular real property tax levy income will not be sufficient to cover the cost of the operations of the District needed to maintain a satisfactory level of District services; and

WHEREAS, the benefit charge authorized by the statute may provide an amount not to exceed 60% of the operating budget of the District; and

WHEREAS, the District’s operating budget for 2009 will be approximately $300,000.00; and

WHEREAS, the properties listed in Exhibit A, to be attached to this Resolution are receiving and will receive the service benefits provided by the District; and

WHEREAS, it is reasonable and necessary that the District impose a benefit charge to maintain and improve the services provided by the District;

Resolution: NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue as follows:

1. Benefit Charge. There is hereby imposed within the District a benefit charge on personal property and improvements to real property to be collected in 2009 in the total amount of $70,000.00 to be paid by the owners of such properties.

2. Effective Date. The benefit charge shall be imposed on the affected property beginning January 1, 2009.

3. Method of Apportionment. The total benefit charge authorized by this resolution shall be reasonably apportioned among the affected parcels of property by the method described in Exhibit B.

4. Property Charge. The benefit charge to be imposed on each property is set forth on Exhibit A, to be attached to this Resolution and incorporated herein by this reference.

5. Contract For Administration. The Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the District and the Secretary of the District are authorized and directed to negotiate a contract with the treasurers of King and Kittitas County to provide for the administration and collection of the benefit charge. The contract shall establish the fee to be paid by the District to the County Treasurer and County Assessor for services to be performed under the contract.

6. Public Hearing. The secretary of the District is authorized and directed to schedule a public hearing before the Board of Commissioner to be held on August 5, 2008 at the District headquarters station to consider the proposal to impose benefit charges for the support of the legally authorized activities of the District to maintain and improve the services afforded in the District. The secretary shall cause public notice of the hearing to be published in a legal newspaper circulated within the District not less than 10 days prior to the date of the hearing. The secretary shall also post a public notice of the hearing at all fire district stations within the District.

7. Election. There shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the district for their ratification or rejection, at a special election on August 19, 2008, in conjunction with the state primary election to be held on the same date, the question of whether or not such benefit charge for fire protection purposes shall be authorized. The Board of Commissioners hereby requests that the Auditors of King and Kittitas County, as ex-officio Supervisor of Elections, call such special election, and to submit the following proposition at such election, in the form of a ballot titled substantially as follows:

PROPOSITION

Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue

___ YES ___ NO

DATED this 26^th day of May, 2008.

Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue

CHRIS L. CAVIEZEL, Commissioner (signed) WILLIAM J. POWERS, JR, Commissioner
Pat Ellis, Commissioner (signed)

ADOPTED at a SPECIAL meeting of the

Board of Commissioners of Snoqualmie Pass
Fire and Rescue, held on May 26^th, 2008.
Pat Ellis (signed) for
JUDITH A. HEYER, Secretary

Appendix A is 28 pages in length.

It includes all the parcels for Snoqualmie Pass.

It should be noted that Appendix B shows a

Factor of “0” for Residential properties which

means they would not be charged.

Appendix B

Fire Benefit Charge Formula For SPFR

Square root of square feet x 18 x Type factor = Fire Flow

Fire Flow x $0.075 = Fire Benefit Charge

(sq root of sq ft x 18 x type factor x $.075 = FBC)

Description Factor

    Description                              Factor
Residence                                0.00
Multi-Family                             3.00
   Multi-Family >2 stories            5.00
Commercial < 1,000 sq ft            4.00
        Comm. < 2,000 sq ft          5.00
        Comm. < 4,000 sq ft          6.00
      Comm. < 10,000 sq ft           7.00
      Comm. < 20,000 sq ft           8.00
      Comm. < 50,000 sq ft           9.00
     Comm. >=50,000 sq ft           10.00
Commercial > 2 stories
(multiply to the assigned factor)     2.00

Example: 600 sq ft Multi-Family (2 story complex) with a cost per gallon of $.075

24.49 x 18 x 3.00 = 1322.7245 Fire Flow

1322.7245 x 0.075 = $99.20 FBC

Example: 3,000, sq ft Commercial with a cost per gallon of $.075

54.77 x 18 x 6.00 = 5915.4036 Fire Flow

5915.4036 x 0.075 = $443.66 FBC

Example: 15,000 sq ft, 3 story Commercial with a cost per gallon of $.075

122.47 x 18 x 10.00 = 22045.4077 Fire Flow

22045.4077 x 0.075 = $1,653.41 FBC

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