North Whatcom and fire district 4 to discuss both districts’ financial future

After having its proposed levy rate increase rejected in the August and November elections, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) is holding meetings this month with Whatcom County Fire District 4 (WCFD4) to discuss how the districts can fund their continued service.

 According to a December 2021 chief report, the districts may reintroduce negotiations to form a regional fire authority between NWFR and WCDF4, which foundered last spring. 

NWFR’s levy lid lift would have increased the current rate of $1.15 per $1,000 of assessed value by 30 cents to $1.45 per $1,000 to replace outdated equipment and increase service to the levels needed in north Whatcom County. But voters rejected the levy by 53.8 percent in the August primary and then with even more opposition in the November general election, by 60.2 percent.

Now NWFR faces financial uncertainty as it has increasing calls for service, a growing population, aging equipment and facilities, and tax revenue that has fallen far behind the rate of inflation. Through an interlocal agreement, NWFR provides operational and logistical services for WCFD4, which was extended in each districts’ December 2021 meeting until December 2022. 

Together, the districts serve 38,000 people in 156 square miles, in an area that stretches north of Bellingham to the U.S./Canada border and runs from Birch Bay to east of Lynden.

Fire chief Jason Van der Veen said he will have a better idea where both districts stand financially by the end of the month. Representatives from each districts’ board of commissioners will be discussing financial strategies in February meetings to decide how to proceed in the future. 

In his December 2021 administrative report, Van der Veen said the department will further communicate and engage with the public to secure funding for the future. 

“The public told us 5,613 times in 2021, or 15 times a day, that they need our service,” he wrote, referring to service calls. “We just need to figure out how to show the public that we need their help to fund it.”