La Pine RFPD files for May levy renewal vote

The La Pine Rural Fire Protection District Board of Directors filed a ballot measure with the Deschutes County clerk on Monday for the May 15 general election. It asks voters to renew funding for the fire and EMS service district at the current tax rates, something officials say is essential to maintain current service levels.

The measure is a renewal of the fire district five-year local option levy for operations. The existing levy expires in July 2019. The proposed measure would extend the existing current property tax rate of 64 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for another five years.

The fire district said in its announcement that it has been using the local option levy since 1998 to insure adequate responses to fire and medical emergencies, which the voters have renewed four times, the last in 2013 with an 83 percent voter approval rating, the highest ever in the state of Oregon for any tax measure.

The proposed five-year operations levy will keep district taxpayer rates the same and maintain the current levels of fire and emergency medical services.

A home valued at $100,000 would continue to pay $64 per year ($5.33/month). Estimated annual tax to be received by the District is $1,010,973. The local option operating levy provides funds that:

· Maintain two 24 hour / seven days a week paramedic units in service. The district responds to at least two or more concurrent emergency calls 459 times a year.

· Maintain at least one paramedic/firefighter officer in the district at all times to ensure on-duty response to multiple simultaneous calls and/or when all paramedic units are out of the District and transporting patients to Bend. The district has three or more simultaneous calls 128 times a year.

· Maintain operations out of all three district fire stations – Huntington, Burgess/Day and South Century Drive.

· Allow for staffing of a third ambulance or fire engine company.

· Maintain the community’s ISO insurance rating ,which results in lower insurance costs. A home insured for $100,000 pays an average of $521 a year less in property insurance due to the district’s rating.

· Allow continued grant matches for equipment, apparatus and facilities which lower overall costs. The district has received over $1.7 million in competitive grants and equipment over the recent few years because it can show the community’s ability and willingness to match grant support.

· Maintain 22 career firefighter paramedics.

· Maintain 12 volunteer student resident/scholarship firefighters, who provide an average of four additional personnel per shift to respond to calls.

“The La Pine Fire District has been able to keep the tax rates the same over 20 years while providing essential emergency services to the community by prioritizing, practicing frugality, growing in pace with the community, and carrying no debt – every penny is used to provide service,” officials said.

“The district has highly trained professional career and volunteer staff dedicated to the best possible care and who responded to 2,379 emergency calls in 2017. The district continues to improve with the efficient and effective use of taxpayer funds by the use of best management practices, ongoing strategic planning processes, ten-year budget planning, and continually analyzing and improving expense and revenue structures.

“The district’s five elected directors have significant public emergency management and business experience. The directors set district service goals and provide oversight of fire/EMS operations. The district has a yearly external audit of its finances and procedures, which is open for review by the public.