East Pierce Fire and Rescue, a fire district located partly in King County, is placing a lid lift proposition on the April 26, 2016 ballot. This proposition will authorize the property tax EMS levy rate to return to the previously voter-approved rate of $.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The proposition is presented to provide voters the opportunity to exceed the limitation imposed by Initiative 747, which would otherwise limit total property tax revenue to 101% of the previous year’s revenue, regardless of the authorized dollar rate limitation of $.50.

This proposition meets the requirement of Initiative 747, mandating that any increase in revenue of more than 1% be approved by the voters.

Approval of this proposition would allow maintaining the current level of services. Rejection of this proposition would lead to the loss of approximately $600,000 in projected tax revenue, which would necessitate cutbacks in services, including the inability to increase the number of paramedics to address a rapidly increasing medical call volume and to keep pace with the rising costs of medical supplies.

For questions about this measure, contact: Bud Backer, Fire Chief,
253-863-1800, bbacker@eastpiercefire.org