Voters in Grant County Fire District 7, which includes the city of Soap Lake, will decide the fate of a proposal to increase the rate of the district’s property tax levy for fire service in the general election Nov. 7.
The “levy lid lift” would set the levy rate at $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The current rate is 56 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The levy needs a bare majority, 50% plus one vote, to be approved.
The district also collects an EMS levy of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, and Fire District 7 Chief Chris Baker said the EMS levy would no longer be collected if the levy lid lift is approved.
Baker said the money would go to building maintenance and equipment upgrades that have been deferred.
“Currently we have three fire stations and all of them need extensive work,” Baker said.