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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Understaffed Pierce Co. fire agency asked voters for funds. Early results are in
Key Peninsula residents are deciding the fate of a measure to secure ongoing funding for their fire department's emergency medical services, as well as the top runners in a crowded race for fire commissioner this year. Key Peninsula Fire Department EMS levy results Early results in the Aug. 5 primary show that a measure to restore the Key Peninsula Fire Department's EMS levy rate to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value was passing by a healthy margin Tuesday night. Proposition No. 1 - Multi-Year EMS Levy Lid Lift had 1,850 votes (62.46%) in favor and 1,112 votes (37.54%) against so far, according to the Pierce County Auditor. It requires a simple majority to pass. The next batch of election results is expected to be released at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Voters approved the $0.50 rate in 2019, but property tax laws have caused that rate to drop to $0.32 per $1,000 in assessed value, Fire Chief Nick Swinhart said in a video about the measure posted on the fire district's website. The measure also allows the district to adjust the levied amount up to 6% in the five subsequent years following 2026 as long as the rate doesn't exceed $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, the Pierce County Voters' Pamphlet says. Typically, the amount that local jurisdictions can collect can't exceed 1% more than they collected the previous year, under state law, unless voters approve a levy lid lift to raise that cap. If the levy lid lift passes, a home valued at $500,000 will pay $250 for the year — an increase of $87.50 from the current rate — or a total of $20.83 per month, per month, according to a chart released by the fire department on social media. If the lid lift doesn't pass, the department will face a funding gap of about $900,000 in 2026, a resolution proposing the lid lift says. Reached via phone Tuesday evening, Key Peninsula Fire Department spokesperson Anne Nesbit said the department is 'extremely grateful and humbled,' describing the results as 'a comfortable margin straight out of the chute.' ' ... hopefullly it keeps trending in that direction,' she said. The fire district's proposed levy lid lift comes on the heels of several adjustments the district made to their budget after voters rejected an $800,000 maintenance and operations (M&O) levy last year for the first time since 2012. The funding gap led the fire department to leave a firefighter position vacant, as well as reduce their minimum daily staffing from seven to five personnel which sometimes forced them to temporarily close or 'brownout' one of their stations without enough firefighters to work shifts, The News Tribune reported. Nesbit told The News Tribune in advance of the primary that the EMS levy would reverse some of those effects by allowing the fire department to restore their minimum daily staffing to seven, eliminating the need for brownouts, and fill several vacant firefighter positions. The failure of the M&O levy last year came amid rising tensions between the district fire commissioners and residents who disagreed with the department's decision to purchase three parcels of property near their Key Center headquarters for $2.1 million in 2021, using money from a low-interest loan. The board of commissioners had planned to build a new station, training facility and health clinic on the land, but some residents in the months following spoke out, saying they believed the decision was fiscally unwise. Some residents expressed their feelings at town halls and Q&As that at times became heated as the board sought to gather public input on how to proceed. Key Peninsula Fire Commissioner Pos. No. 1 results Early results showed Colleen Marie Mullen and Gretchen Schneider leading the primary for the Key Peninsula Fire Department's open seat on their Board of Fire Commissioners. The top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November. Candidates Gretchen Schneider, Jennifer Dow, Colleen Marie Mullen, Josh Johnson and Ed Bressette, Jr. are running for Position No. 1 to replace Commissioner Cambria Queen, who was selected by the board to serve from 2024-2025 for the remainder of Frank Grubaugh's term, according to the Key Peninsula Fire Department website. Tuesday's vote count showed Colleen Marie Mullen had 897 votes (32.76%) and Gretchen Schneider had 676 votes (24.69%) shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Pierce County Auditor. Josh Johnson received 566 votes (20.67%), Ed Bressette, Jr. received 498 votes (18.19%) and Jennifer Dow received 78 votes (2.85%). Less than 1% of ballots were cast for write-in candidates. The new commissioner will join the rest of the board in working toward a decision on the future of the Key Center properties, among fulfilling the other duties of the board. State law dictates that a board of fire commissioners 'has the power and duty to adopt a seal of the district, to manage and conduct the business affairs of the district, to make and execute all necessary contracts, to employ any necessary services, and to adopt reasonable rules to govern the district and to perform its functions, and generally to perform all such acts as may be necessary to carry out the objects of the creation of the district.' Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 16 serves a peninsula spanning some 65 square miles, the district website says. The population is about 19,000 residents, according to the most recent U.S. Census data for the four approximate ZIP code areas included in the fire department's service area. The district had total revenues of about $12.7 million in 2025, according to their budget. They have six fire stations in Wauna, Wright Bliss, Key Center, Home, Longbranch and Herron Island. The Wauna, Home and Longbranch stations are staffed 24-hours, and others are staffed as needed by volunteers. Administrative staff work from the Key Center station during the week. Visit The News Tribune's live election results page for more Pierce County primary results. Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
24-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Leaf Rapids crews battling wildfire after 'very serious turn' forced essential workers to leave, province says
Social Sharing Leaf Rapids fire crews had to temporarily retreat from the frontlines of wildfire fighting Wednesday as one of several fires threatened the northern Manitoba community. In a statement posted to Facebook at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the town's administration said the wildfire burning northwest of the town jumped the Churchill River and began spreading through the community's industrial area. The community Facebook page suggested all personnel, including firefighters, were evacuating the community due to wildfire spread and thick smoke. The post said firefighters may not be returning to the community for some time. A provincial spokesperson told CBC News Thursday morning that municipal fire crews did not, in fact, evacuate. Instead, they retreated to previously established "safe zones" for a time, before returning and resuming their work. "While there was a very serious turn in the fire situation last night it is important to note that crews from the Office of the Fire Commissioner and the Manitoba Fire service (local and municipal firefighters) did not evacuate the town last night," the provincial spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. "Essential workers did leave, but the emergency crews dedicated to protecting the community did not leave and remained at the community while the fire passed through." The province's wildfire map showed that fire was more than 2,500 hectares in size as of Tuesday. It is the smallest of the three major wildfires surrounding the community. Another fire southwest of the community has grown to more than 30,300 hectares, while a wildfire to the east has burned 15,500 hectares as of Tuesday, the province's data showed. All three wildfires are out of control. Leaf Rapids, located about 155 kilometres northwest of Thompson, declared a state of emergency on July 7. The town told its 300 residents they had to leave within 24 hours. Ervin Bighetty has been staying in a Winnipeg hotel alongside his family since they were evacuated two weeks ago. The former mayor told CBC News he was sad to see that firefighters would start leaving the community on Wednesday night. He said returning to Leaf Rapids doesn't seem realistic right now. "I don't know when we're going to go home, if we're going to have a home to go to," Bighetty said. "But what matters to me is that my family is safe. I know where they are, I can go down the hallway and go see them," he said. The Manitoba government spokesperson said some vacant structures have been lost to fires, though only one occupied residence has been damaged as of Thursday morning. The province is expected to provide an update on the status of the firefight in Leaf Rapids on Thursday.
