Fire agencies to discuss annexation
BONNERS FERRY — A public meeting will be held tonight between the North Bench Fire Association, the South Boundary Fire Protection District, and their firefighters, in order to discuss whether or not the two agencies would like to combine forces, and what the structure of a combined fire district would entail.
Tonight’s meeting was set last Monday night during the North Bench Fire Association’s regularly scheduled board meeting.
North Bench Fire Association Fire Chief Gus Jackson and South Boundary Fire Protection District Fire Chief Tony Rohrwasser explained to board members that the two agencies were recently approached by North Bench homeowners requesting an annexation into the South Boundary District.
On monday night, some homeowners expressed their concerns, asked questions, and/or shared their opinions, both in favor and opposed.
Currently, North Bench is a fire association, which means that the department is primarily funded by membership dues of $75 per year. These dues are not mandatory. If a homeowner pays their dues, and their home or property catches fire, they do not have to pay the department for their services. However, if the member fails to pay, they would be billed for firefighting costs.
South Boundary is a taxing district. If a homeowner has a fire emergency, they do not have to pay for the department’s services.
If the two agencies joined, North Bench would be annexed into South Boundary’s district, thus becoming a taxing district.
The idea of an annexation, and being taxed for fire services, was not met without opposition. Some homeowners were concerned that their annual taxes would skyrocket up to $350 dollars, or more, per year.
Chief Rohrwasser said that every individual homeowner’s situation is different, however he presented a personal example of his own home which is valued at about $200,000. Rohrwasser said the current levy is based on the net taxable value of a home, which, after exemptions, such as timber, agricultural, and homeowner’s deductions, only about $98,000 of that $200,000 home would be taxed. The $98,000 would then be multiplied by .00159, which is the SBFPD’s current levy rate. The total annual payment would then be about $159 per year and $1.59 per $1,000 in assessed value.
“We helped numerous people in our district save money by helping them identify deductions and exemptions that they were unaware of,” Rohrwasser explained to the board.
Those in favor of the annexation said paying a little more every year for a reliable, well-staffed, and professionally-trained fire department was worth it to them, and they implored the North Bench board members to at least consider the idea.
Board members inquired about staffing, and what a future board would look like if the agencies were to join.
Rohrwasser explained that staffing would be decided upon by a board of three to five fire commissioners that would be elected by the public.
“Commissioners of a combined district would take staffing suggestions by the hired chief or chiefs, but would ultimately make the final decisions on all matters,” Rohrwasser said.
With the understanding that there were a multitude of questions that would need to be answered, board members agreed to meet with SBFPD commissioners, and to invite all of the firefighters from each agency to participate in a question and answer discussion.
The purpose of tonight’s meeting is to answer two questions: are both agencies on board with the idea? what would the structure of a combined district look like?
Along with questions and answers from the firefighters and board members.
If both agencies are on board, a public education and comment period would then be set.
If North Bench homeowners want to pursue an annexation they would have two options:
1. A petition with signatures of at least 75 percent of the homeowners would be needed for the district to be annexed. The petition would then be presented to SBFPD’s Board of Commissioners. The commissioners would then decide if it was in the district’s best interest to move forward with an annexation, with no election required.
2. If North Bench homeowners that are in favor of an annexation are unable to secure 75 percent, they would still be able to present the petition to South Boundary’s Board of Commissioners. The board would then decide if it would be in the district’s best interest to hold an election.
The general consensus on Monday night was that if both agencies decide they aren’t on board with the annexation, and can’t agree on a way to work as a team to provide the residents of the county top-notch service as one agency, there would be no point in entertaining the idea any further.
The public is invited to attend tonight’s meeting, however, only NBFA and SBFPD board members, commissioners, and firefighters will be allowed to ask questions or comment.
If the two agencies feel that a combined fire district would be feasible, an open meeting for public comments would be held.
Ultimately, the decision would be made by homeowners registered to vote in the areas proposed to be annexed through an election process.
A public notice was posted by North Bench Fire Association regarding Monday’s meeting. South Boundary Fire Protection District posted a public notice regarding tonight’s meeting. A public notice has also been posted at the Boundary County Extension Office.
The meeting will be held tonight at the Boundary County Extension Office, behind the courthouse, at 6:30 p.m.