Tax hike to boost Tacoma Fire Department? Here’s how ballot measure was faring Nov. 5
Tacoma voters on Tuesday were rejecting a levy-lid lift aimed at benefiting the city’s Fire Department.
As of Wednesday’s tally of votes, nearly 54.13% of local voters had rebuffed the proposal. More votes were to be counted as the week progressed.
Backers of the measure said that it would have allowed the Tacoma Fire Department to pursue some long overdue improvements. Critics weren’t happy about the prospect of another tax hike.
Tacoma Fire spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd described the department’s response to the initial vote tally.
“We’re definitely a little disappointed with the preliminary results right now,” she said Tuesday night, “but we’re just going to hang on and see what happens over the next few days.”
Proposition 1 on the Nov. 5 ballot would have spiked Tacoma’s regular property tax levy by $0.65 per $1,000 of assessed value, generating some $30 million annually, The News Tribune previously reported. The average homeowner in Tacoma — with a house worth $450,000 — would have paid an additional $25 per month.
Earlier this year, then-Fire Chief Tory Green told city leaders that 85% of the department’s facilities are in poor or critical shape. As those conditions have declined, call volume has risen significantly over the past decade.
The Tacoma Fire Department recently took to social media to urge voters to pass the levy. Lt. Scott Warner explained how the proposal would aid the department in a video posted to X (Twitter) on Oct. 25.
“We’re talking about TFD’s call volume has increased 36% since 2010; however, our first-responding units number has stayed the same,” he said. “With this levy increase, we’re going to be able to add two additional response units by the year 2026.”
An explanatory statement in the local voters’ pamphlet stated that Proposition 1 would have helped replace life-saving assets. It would have boosted firefighter safety and response times thanks to the addition of new first responders, plus bolstered support for current responders and staff, the statement said.
The revenue would could have funded new equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus used for breathing in smoke-filled environments. It also could have helped cover the cost of a new fire station in South Tacoma.
Members of Proposition 1’s “for” committee echoed that statistic in the local voters’ pamphlet. They pointed out that while calls for help have increased, funding for the department’s vehicles, facilities and equipment has not kept pace.
The “against” committee noted in part that the measure would allow for an annual tax bump of up to 6% for 2026-2030. Detractors said those costs could trickle down to renters if landlords then opt to raise rents. They also cited the passage of last year’s Emergency Medical Service levy and titled the subheading of one of their arguments, “Past Poor Management Not Our Fault.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:19 PM.
