King County Fire Protection District 40 is responsible for providing fire protection and emergency medical services in your community. For over the last twenty years, the Fire District has funded these services primarily through a combination of property taxes and voter-approved benefit charges.

Benefit charges are based on risk factors and the cost of providing fire protection services, unlike property taxes that relate to the value of property. Under state law, voters must renew the use of benefit charges every six years and the Fire District’s Elected Board of Commissioners is required to hold a public hearing each year to review and establish the amount of the benefit charge. Once established, the aggregate amount of the charge is pro-rated to individual properties based on risk factors and collected by the county assessor, together with property taxes. The amount of any benefit charge imposed on any given property cannot exceed the measurable benefits of the services afforded to the property by the Fire District and are subject to appeal.

Under state law, fire districts which collect benefit charges authorized under Chapter 52.18 RCW have reduced taxing authority. Benefit charges can constitute no more than 60 percent of a district’s annual operating budget and the fire district’s maximum property tax rate is reduced from $1.50 to $1.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

If approved, Proposition 1 would continue the current funding methods utilized by Fire District 40 to provide emergency medical and fire protection services for the next six years.