North Highline Fire District provides emergency medical, and fire protection service to the areas within North Highline Fire District. 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, the square footage of structures and the type of structures.
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 to be collected for six years from 2015 through 2020. 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.
For questions about this measure, contact: Mike Marrs, Fire Chief 206-243-0330 office@northhighlinefd.org
