VIDEO: The Spokane County Fire District 9 voted to put the special levy back on the August ballot after it was projected to fail for the first time in more than 28 years.
Fire Chief Jim Walkowski told NonStop Local that a big factor in the levy's failure was a misunderstanding of what the levy tax does and how the increase would affect voters.
Two levies fund Fire District Nine. One is the fire levy, which costs voters 65 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The other is the special levy, which was voted on this week. This year, homeowners pay $1.29 per $1,000 of property value. The levy would increase that number to $1.47 starting in 2025. That number will increase to $1.48 in 2026 and $1.49 in 2027.
The board of fire commissioners voted Friday to put this measure back on the Aug. 6 ballot.