Levy lid lift moves forward

SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7 voters have all but assured the passage of a request to raise the amount levied by the district, and GCFD 7 Chief Chris Baker said the biggest priority for the district will be fixing the maintenance shop and hiring a full-time mechanic. 

As of Monday, the “levy lid lift” has 553 yes votes and 297 no votes, with 65% voting in favor. There are still about 53 ballots left to count countywide. 

The election will be certified Nov. 28.

Passage of the request will allow the district to levy $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value, an increase from the current rate of 56 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Baker said the new levy amount will go into effect in 2024.

Baker expressed thanks to district patrons in a letter he read at the Nov. 15 Soap Lake City Council meeting. He was grateful for their support, he said, especially given the high poverty rate in Soap Lake and the surrounding area. 

“It’s because of all of you that this proposition was a success,” he said. 

District commissioners and officials plan to keep district patrons in mind when they spend that money and to be transparent about the process. 

“This proposition will not be used for wants. It will only be used for needs,” he said. 

The most pressing need is repairs and more maintenance, both for the district’s three fire stations and its vehicles. 

“We have a number of different repairs to our maintenance facility,” Baker said.

The building needs a new roof; there’s mold in the structure and a pest infestation in the attic, he said. Along with that, district officials plan to hire a full-time mechanic who would also respond to calls. The building needs to be fixed so the mechanic would have a place to work, he said. The district’s main station is a converted commercial building, isn’t up to current building code and needs some work too. 

Many of the district’s trucks are in need of repair, and ongoing maintenance issues don’t get addressed until something breaks, he said.

“That’s usually when we’re on our way to an emergency,” he added.

One of the district’s water tenders, which is used to fight wildland fires, was built in 1974 and requires repair. District officials plan to start a replacement for district vehicles. 

The fire district doesn’t have enough calls to justify buying brand-new equipment, he said, so district officials will focus on used equipment in good condition.

“It just doesn’t make sense for us to go brand-new,” Baker said. 

Also high on the priority list is the replacement of the breathing apparatus used when fighting fires, and the clothing used by firefighters. It’s old, and the breathing apparatus owned by GCFD 7 had to be taken out of service, he said. Replacing it all will be expensive — Baker estimated replacing just the breathing apparatus would cost about $230,000. 

It won’t be possible to address all the needs right away, he said.

“But we’re certainly in a much better position than we were,” he said.

Given the economic situation in the district, Baker said he was thankful for the response of voters.

“It just shows the amount of support the public has for us,” he said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

“This proposition will not be used for wants. It will only be used for needs." — GCFD 7 Chief Chris Baker