The shell game
Over recent decades, municipalities have been shedding responsibility for various community services by creating what have been dubbed ‘junior’ or ‘special’ taxing districts. Rationales range from increased service demands to vague descriptions of ‘modernization.” Though we’re typically promised greater efficiencies at the outset, the net effect across the board has been the expansion of local governmental jurisdictions with ever-increasing budgets that further burden the taxpayers. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state of Washington ranks eighth in the nation in states with highest count of special district governments.
Mechanisms exist for these special taxing districts to avoid significant new arrangements being put to the voters by employing the guise of “consolidations” and “interlocal agreements.” A number of these have occurred here in the last twenty years, not the least of which was the Port Townsend City Council-orchestrated “Pre-Annexation Agreement,” which essentially stacked the deck in favor of moving forward with plans local administrators already had in mind for East Jefferson Fire and Rescue (EJFR).
We’ve seen similar sleights of hand in every local agency in recent years. These shell games make it more challenging to watchdog revenue streams. If the city shifted funds that were originally earmarked for Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to the general fund, who would be the wiser?
Getting our arms around the levy lid lift
The lid lift proposal, if approved, will be permanent — that is to say, it will become the fiscal floor of any future levies. There is a statutory maximum of $0.50 for EMS and $1.50 for fire services, which can only be changed by the state legislature. We could use an honest discussion around the accounting gimmick of separating out Fire from EMS (they are mutually inclusive), but that’s a discussion for another day.
Owners of a home currently valued at $400,000 are paying approximately $0.85 per $1,000 valuation for fire services ($340) and $0.36 for EMS ($144), for a combined total of $484. The new rates of $1.30/$1,000 for fire and $0.50/$1,000 will rise to a combined total of $720 next year, a net $236 increase. Yes — the Fire/EMS property tax rate will increase from $1.21 to $1.80 per $1,000 valuation — a whopping 48.7%!
These individual examples are close approximations. Actual figures are based on total district assessments — once new construction, senior citizen discounts, and timber and utility levies are calculated. If assessed valuations go up, the levy rate goes down; if they go down, the levy rate goes up until it hits the statutory maximum.
This image would be more accurate if Fire and EMS were depicted in one slice — they are hand-in-glove at 16.08% of the 2023 pie.
Fires account for less than TWO PERCENT of calls – the vast majority come from PT senior living centers, for aid cars
According to EJFR’s 2021 Annual Report, EMS calls “remained steady” at three-quarters (75%) of the districts demand. Only 1.56% were fires. At a recent town hall promoting the levy, Chief Black said there were 5,029 calls in 2022. Roughly 70% of calls are within Port Townsend’s city limits, unsurprisingly dominated by the area’s senior living centers.
A friend who works for EJFR tells me that it’s not uncommon to get two or three calls a day from Avamere alone. That facility and Victoria Place are owned by mega corporations with annual revenues between $500 million – $900 million. Why should overburdened taxpayers (JeffCo’s median household income is $57,700) subsidize these affluent outfits? We could easily create a tiered fee structure for these heavy users that recoups a reasonable portion of district costs.
Volunteer vs. career fire districts — the macro view
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is the primary union in the U.S. and Canada. An illuminating industry blog article from 2017 highlights some historical tensions: [Editor’s note: this came from an unfunny April Fool’s false story posted to an industry website]
“In an incredible policy reversal, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has called a truce on a decades-long feud with the volunteer fire service. It’s widely known that 70% of the American fire service is comprised of unpaid or barely compensated volunteers, while the remaining 30% are career staff. The large majority of firefighters in the United States are volunteers.
It’s been a long-held position of the IAFF that volunteer firefighters take jobs away from career firefighters, thus threatening the sanctity and long-term viability of the union. The IAFF’s continued mission to grow the union has been happening at a slower pace than planned…”
IAFF President Christopher Montgomery stated that it was time to rethink the 100-year-old IAFF platform. During a brainstorming session with the executive board of directors, the idea of unionizing volunteer stations was presented… After very little discussion it was clear the decision was pivotal and necessary for the health of the union.”
The Union über alles. Too commonly the institution itself becomes the raison d’être for its existence, especially when large sums of money are involved. This is the natural trend for all governing bodies.
But it gets even darker, according to this Nov. 2021 article in The Hill…
“The ongoing challenges with recruitment and retention are compounded by the constitution and bylaws of the IAFF, prohibiting career firefighters from volunteering. These bylaws were codified in March and include “volunteering” in a list of serious charges such as embezzlement, assault of an officer, or membership in a terrorist organization. The penalty for a career firefighter donating his time to help a child who is having an asthma attack, or to respond to a car accident or participate in saving a neighbor’s home or business could be a “reprimand, fine, suspension from office, or suspension or expulsion from membership.
In states and jurisdictions with collective bargaining laws, the IAFF’s ban against volunteering is expanding past its bylaws with recommendations that are highlighted in the union’s “Model Contract Language Manual,” to prohibit a career firefighter from volunteering regardless of union membership.”
The micro view
My sources tell me that an effort to squeeze out the volunteers began in the early 2000’s, progressively leaving the department very close to 100% career (the IAFF played a role in that shift) despite the Annual Report’s claim of 30 volunteers. I’m told it’s more like 6 outpost volunteers (Airport Station, Kala Point, Marrowstone) with EMT certification, and a few support folks who can drive certain vehicles. The word is that the Union shop has not been a friendly atmosphere for the volunteers for some time, so they do their own thing and respond to emergencies as needed. If you look closely at the YES! yard signs on area lawns, you’ll see the Union logo.
What community doesn’t value its emergency responders? Ours are well trained and offer the district a high level of knowledge, skills and abilities. For that, they are well-paid, with the most senior employees earning pay packages topping $200,000 a year.
The median salary with overtime for EJFR’s 41 full-time firefighters/EMTs is $109,415, not including their generous benefits package — typically valued at an additional 40%, so roughly another $43,000+. On average, they work 8 days a month. These are 24-hour shifts where they are basically on call. They have a kitchen, showers, beds, television — most of the basic comforts of home.
In comparison, the average salary of PT police officers is $74,194. It could be argued that their job overall is as dangerous or moreso — dealing daily with homelessness, mental health, drug and alcohol related violence — and it doesn’t include nearly as many attractive perks.
What are the options?
This tax increase will have significant cascading impacts on residents with modest and fixed incomes, as landlords will be forced to raise rents for both residential and commercial occupants in an already-strained rental market. Many economists say the US (and its Western partners) are already in a recession that promises to worsen. What else could be done at this crucial moment to ameliorate EJFR’s cash crunch?
For starters, the administration and line personnel might take a 10% pay cut. Sound harsh? An average salary of $98,500 seems a respectable remuneration for a force for whom medical transports constitute three-quarters of a day’s work.
Combination departments: Restore some balance between career and volunteer crews. South Whatcom County Fire Authority (SWRFA), for instance, has a force of 21 full-time career and 35 volunteer and part-time FF/EMTs. South Whidbey Fire/EMS (SWFE) has 12 career and roughly 40 volunteers. Clallam County Fire District 3 (CCFD3) has roughly 40 career and more than 60 volunteers.
Special use assessments for high volume (eg. assisted living facilities) and high risk (eg. the mill) users.
Aggressive pursuit of grant monies, eg. FEMA’s Fire Service Grants and Funding (AFG), which provides funds for equipment, apparatus, training and salaries.
Develop your own immunity — to the scare tactics
Despite the district’s 1.5% fire calls figure, emotive images of blazing fires are employed in agency documents and marketing materials to engender empathy, support and — let’s face it — fear. So brazen is this campaign that, rather than a photograph of Chief Black and Asst. Chief Brummel on the Organizational Chart page of the Annual Report, there are pictures of — you guessed it —
Ours is already a highly fearful population who are easily convinced by these tired manipulations to demand the very solution that’s being put forward by their ‘trusted leaders’ without a drop of critical thinking. Legacy media and comment forums are peppered with snarky, alarmist replies to anyone questioning the lid lift — yeah, wait till your house is on fire! It’s 98.5% more likely that you’ll have any other reason to call 911 in the future, so perhaps take added precautions to prevent slip-and-falls, heart attacks and strokes (hint: non-pharmaceutical for the latter).
It would be great if these tax increases covered the services most needed by district residents. Nope. Should you need a ride from uptown to Jefferson Healthcare in an ambulance, you’ll get a bill for about $1,000. Cardiac issues will be swept directly off to St. Michael in Silverdale to the tune of around $5,000. Any other serious illness or trauma will be taken to Seattle by helicopter, normally from Jefferson Int’l Airport. Make that $30,000+.
I learned an awful lot while researching for this story. Insiders subscribe to these services, and suggest we do too — Airlift NW ($60/household per year) and/or LifeFlight ($75/household per year) as backup to whatever insurance you may have, including Medicare (though you’ll need A and B), so you don’t get stuck with one of those big fat bills mentioned above.
Don’t believe the hype. We are not at risk of being neglected by our first responders if this levy fails. The district could bring back to the voters a more reasonable rate increase that does not have such a deleterious impact. If both administration and line personnel agreed to voluntarily lower their wages, such an effort would go a long way in fostering support for the next round.
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Editor’s Note: The original post of this article included a math error that has been corrected.
Annette Huenke studied International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to heading west, she was a manager for an Auckland-based international publisher of peer-reviewed drug information journals. In 1992 she moved to Port Townsend, opening Ancestral Spirits Gallery in 1993. She is past vice president of the Jeff Co EDC and board member of The Boiler Room. She researches, writes and wanders the forests around PT.
A lot of incorrect information here, the least of which is the basic math. 1.21 is 67% of 1.80, not a “67% increase” as you state. If you didn’t bother double checking the equation you used to formulate the title of your article it’s hard to trust any fact checking was done at all. I don’t feel it necessary to point out all the inaccuracies in this article since most of the claims can be easily researched and disproven by the reader. I would only ask that you would spend some time insuring the credibility of your next piece before deciding to publish.
Thank you for your correction, Yaya. It wasn’t quite a “didn’t bother,” but I did erroneously pull the wrong calculation from my notes. Nobody regrets such a mistake more than the author.
As far as I know, all the other reporting and numbers in my article are solid. Your comment alleges that its “claims can be easily researched and disproven.” The research to write it wasn’t easy. If my claims are disproven, I will stand corrected. Barring that, I have no clue what you’re referring to… please clarify.
At the turn of the 21st century I got crosswise with EJFR/P.T.Fire Dept. over similar issues. What was once the usual volunteer fire department has become a professionalized and highly paid job. For instance the eight 24-hour shifts (including sleeping) per month can be adjusted in such a way that a fire person can work in two different districts; being on call for four 24-hour shifts per week (over $200,00/yr); a fire person can cover for another person in the district allowing long vacations, etc; fire employees are paid overtime for anything over their appointed shifts (I think that averaged about $17,000 a year per staff person back then). Fire stations are homey: big screen TV, bedrooms, workout rooms, fully equipped kitchens.
EJFR became very dysfunctional internally for many years as they squeezed out volunteers. Volunteering required commitments to weekend training and calls at all hours for emergencies plus keeping all the equipment operable. They earned perks based on participation.
More about volunteering: for those who remember when the Town Tavern caught fire, if there had not been a Seattle fire chief waiting in the ferry line volunteering his expertise, that fire could very well have burned out of control downtown.
Fire districts have full time official representation in Olympia. This organization sets standards such as requiring new equipment every few years – some very, very expensive equipment – no matter how well maintained or underused. Thus older fire trucks/ambulances sometimes find their way to Mexico and other countries through some sort of resale or donation arrangement. This assures a market for emergency vehicle manufacturers.
It seems to me that Senior Living Center operations should provide their own hospital transport vehicle since there is an ongoing, not emergency, and necessary need for this service. 911 service also receives tax money; the Port Townsend Police Department does not answer its own business phone after 3pm – 911 does. The use of “tone” (calls) data is very misleading. Fire people using fire trucks and ambulances go shopping at Safeway or QFC, a particularly egregious practice. I think a great deal could be accomplished with a conservation plan.
There is a sort of patriotic and even a militaristic style imbued in fire departments thus making the questioning by civilians of how taxes are being spent appear disloyal.
An in depth conversation is needed in how to make better use of our investment in EJFR.
Julie, The town tavern fire was about 40 years ago. You are advocating for volunteers, but saying that if it weren’t for a professional fire chief from Seattle the whole building would have likely burned out of control? Let me help your volunteer argument. I was a kid standing on the street watching that fire fight. The City of Port Townsend had two career/paid people on duty every day and a dedicated group of volunteers. The volunteers put that fire out.
Seems like you and I have been sparring on these issues for 20+ years. Just remember who cut through the red tape and broke policy so that you could have your meetings (I believe library meetings) at the uptown fire station years ago 😉
Yes, I recall many efforts on the part of the community to have public meetings, to bring more information, often contrary, to the taxing agencies/districts (City, County, EJFR, hospital, and PUD) justified agendas. The community meetings seem a thing of the past. Instead, we are told that manager-picked stake holders and childish stick-the-sticker-on-the-picture games represent our voices. Current examples: the managers’ rationalizations to remove Sims Way poplars; taking the golf course, an irreplaceable community asset, for other purposes; and soon to come a multimillion dollar health/wellness center/spa.
My reference to the TT fire was to provide an example of why a union effort to prevent paid fire/rescue people from volunteering to help in off-time emergencies such as that Seattle fire fighter did is such a bad idea. He provided the needed expertise for all the people that helped fight that fire. PT did not have the right kind of ladder truck, as I recall. Anyway, that was 40 years ago in a different century. In this 21st century I am having to fight to be recognized as a biological female with rights to safety and privacy.
I will vote no on the fire levy and hope that EJFR develops inspired conservation plans to curb energy use, put hooded lights on its buildings, help senior living centers get their own transportation vehicles, and no more staff pay increases for a long while please.
I wonder if the EMS costs are driven by elderly people needing emergency help or by opiate overdoses. If the latter, is the city leadership promoting drug use or curtailing it? I view injection sites, syringes, etc, etc, as promoting it– legitimizing it, NOT discouraging it. OK, I am heartless, but I have no tolerance for self-created health problems.
In conjunction with the City of Port Townsend, East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) applied for and received an alternative response grant. The grant is funding a new program called FIRE CARES. This program will be modeled on the successful CARES program at the Poulsbo Fire Department and others throughout the region.
EJFR launched FIRE CARES on January 1st, 2023.
The Fire CARES unit is staffed by a full time firefighter/EMT or firefighter/paramedic employed by EJFR, partnered with a full time social worker employed by Believe in Recovery. The team also has access to a substance use disorder professionals who will assist with calls related to drug and alcohol use.
FIRE CARES is primarily a follow-up, intervention service focused on referring and providing appropriate services but will also serve as a specialty unit responding to behavioral health related crisis calls and behavioral health related needs. The team will also provide surge capacity to initial BH/MH responses and other high acuity EMS incidents, such as CPR. The CARES model can provide ongoing case management, care connection, and facilitate appropriate transport. It’s an approach that focuses on BH/MH and social/lifestyle interventions over time, which reduces the need for emergency services. The focus is on education and referral services, ensuring community members in need are gaining access to the most appropriate resources. CARES Program co-responders frequently conduct field-based follow-up to ensure community members are connected to adequate support and resources following a crisis or when identified as high frequency utilizers of the Emergency Medical and Law Enforcement systems.
Thank you, Annette Huenke, for doing all the research required to write this article. It’s good to have people like you around.
Thank You Annette. I wish I had seen this very informative article before I voted. The fear factor for an 82 year old is very convincing. I wondered where all the volunteers went. As a former Mayor of Port Townsend I really do not like anything that is going on at City Hall.
I’m grateful for your engagement here, Brent. It took courage for you to acknowledge your vulnerability to the “fear factor,” that manipulative force that has never before seen such universal and skilled deployment.
I’m in total agreement with you about the goings-on at City Hall. It has been swallowed whole by the professional-managerial class who treat us — as the Ehrenreichs pointed out in their 1977 essay — with a mixture of “contempt and paternalism.” They will decide what is best for us, mock us by hosting performative “public process” cabarets, then stealthily work behind the scene to move forward with the plans they had already created. The examples over the last two+ decades are as plentiful as they are nauseating. Elected councils seem nothing more than bobbleheads nodding in approval.
I recommend holding one’s ballot until the day before or of the election. What’s the rush? So much can happen in 3 weeks time!
Annette Huenke, Thank you very much for this article and all your hard work… I have had an ongoing (private email) conversation with Chief Black about why they didn’t provide an opposing opinion in the voters pamphlet. EJFR commission appointed the task to him, or his designee. This would be an opinion everyone would see! I know the answer and while he’s been very professional and has offered everything but dinner at the firehouse, I have not been able to pry the honest answer out of him. I told him for that reason alone I’m voting “no”, I just might get an offer for dinner at the firehouse outta him yet! LOL I’ve been clear with him about a one year levy with bench mark accomplishments but after reading this it’s going to take a lot more than a dinner!
Thanks again for your hard work, you’ve made a subscriber outta me!
Welcome to the Free Press, King Slayer, and thanks are owed to you for your awareness of our imminent captivity and your sticking your head above the parapet with the fire King! The abrogation of his duty to provide the voters with a pro/con statement in the voter pamphlet, though it’s a guideline and not a legal requirement, tells the tale. Chief Black wanted the voters to hear one side. Period. Of course he can’t explain it — it’s near impossible to pull the rug out from under you when you’re standing on it.
I hoped that my short article would provide the ‘con’ to the con that just occurred. The ‘pros’ were well covered, as usual, by the unquestioning pro sock puppets within legacy media.
Good fortune in slaying (figuratively) those Kings. They’re proliferating like a bad virus!
FYI: I’ve submitted several records request to try to get some answers, no surprise I’m being put off until after the election! I am not a “conspiracy theorist” but I did ask and receive the “alert” posted on the auditors website. I did it because Chief Black stated in his email to me “We then submitted our proposition paperwork to the county. Since we did not have an “against committee”, they put an Alert on the County website that includes the attached language seeking opposition.” I would note two things: Chief Black cc’d the auditor giving them the heads up I was asking questions. 2) The record I received was in “word” format (same as Chief Black) and identical. Something stinks in Good-Ol’-Boyville…
I read or heard somewhere that if the Levy Lift fails they can go back to the well in August… This is incorrect! One of the documents I received from the Jefferson County Auditor states “The next election could be on April 25th.” Pray it fails, attended the Chimacum Fire House meeting the day after the election (might also be on zoom) and there is no time to let up. I am not a forever “NO” but I am a forever “ACCOUNTABLE”!
Thanks for this information, King Slayer… you rule! I spoke to our Auditor’s Election Coordinator Quinn Grewell, who helpfully explained that EJFR was required by RCW to submit names of an “Against” Committee by December 16, 2022, 4:30 pm. When EJFR failed to do so, Grewell’s only recourse was to post an Alert on the Auditor’s web page for a week, inviting anyone to form the “Against” Committee. In the event, nobody noticed and responded to this Alert invitation before the December 23, 2022, 4:30pm publication deadline for the Voter’s Pamphlet. This process of entrusting EJFR to form an “Against” Committee opposed to its own funding increase makes less sense than asking a barber whether you need a haircut.
Seems something is quite rotten in Denmark – er – Port Townsend/Jeff.Cnty. The directions for Jr. Taxing Districts voting are posted and quite clear; the form provides space for the names of committee members for both pro and con positions on the issue to be published in the voters pamphlet. Chief Black’s salary indicates he is highly skilled at his job, which includes asking voters for money. His failure to form an “against” committee, to follow the rules/RCWs of election process, is disrespectful, arrogant, and debasing of democracy.
Do not vote until the auditor’s office provides an official explanation of the situation and provides an “against” position on EJFR measure as an insert to the paper of record for Port Townsend, the Leader, and in the PDN.
As the election nears its end i have waffled on the vote. I tried to see the good and the bad to make an informed decision. Yaya’s comment made me wonder about the facts. So I looked up a couple random quotes. The first bolded quote was station-pride where you directly quoted an April Fools prank!?! I get there is some truth to every story but as a free press reader for quite awhile I’m disappointed with the spreading of misinformation which continues to ruin our town.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Chris. I did indeed get pranked on that one. You say you looked up a couple of quotes. Did you find another incident that concerned you? We do count on our readers to help vet our work, as we are volunteers with busy lives otherwise. I don’t have a reputation for being sloppy at vetting my own work, but make no claims of perfection. The Free Press can hardly be accused of “spreading… misinformation that continues to ruin our town.” Misinforming is quite apart from making mistakes and taking responsibility for them.
I am stuck at the point in Dec 2022 when fire Chief Black did not appoint a committee to write the “against” position:
“…don’t allow debate and censor the narrative of the opposition, that is what totalitarian states do, not democracies “
What kind of opposition would you expect from Black or a Committee he hand selected? Is it normal to have to provide the opposition to your view point? I dont know but think it would be like Pfizer putting out their own trial results and reporting no side effects.
Chris, please see my reply to Kingslayer a few comments above. Chief Black abrogated his duty, pretending he didn’t know anyone who opposed the lid lift. Here’s the state RCW 29A.32.280:
Arguments advocating approval or disapproval—Preparation by committees.
For each measure from a unit of local government that is included in a local voters’ pamphlet, the legislative authority of that jurisdiction shall, not later than the resolution deadline, formally appoint a committee to prepare arguments advocating voters’ approval of the measure and shall formally appoint a committee to prepare arguments advocating voters’ rejection of the measure. The authority shall appoint persons known to favor the measure to serve on the committee advocating approval and shall, whenever possible, appoint persons known to oppose the measure to serve on the committee advocating rejection. Each committee shall have not more than three members, however, a committee may seek the advice of any person or persons. If the legislative authority of a unit of local government fails to make such appointments by the prescribed deadline, the county auditor shall whenever possible make the appointments.