Northside pitches levy request

PONDERAY — The Northside Fire District outlined on Tuesday a levy request designed to improve its level of service and lower fire insurance rates.

“We need to have a plan for the future,” fire district Commissioner Ray Yaw Jr. said during a lightly-attended presentation at the Hidden Valley Worship Center.

But that plan is not without a cost. The district is asking its residents to consent to higher taxes in order to hire six firefighters and eventually build a new main station in the Ponderay area.

District patrons currently pay $26.65 per $100,000 of assessed value. If Northside voters approve the levy request on May 25, that rate would increase to $50.11 per $100,000.

The district has two paid positions — chief and assistant chief — and draws from a pool of 24 volunteers. If the levy request is approved, it would bring the paid staff to eight personnel.

A two-man crew would be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which would help shorten response times associated with mustering volunteers who may or may not be in a position to respond to an emergency.

Yaw said recent population growth and development has driven down the levy cost from about $49 per $100,000 in 2002, but the 3-percent cap on budget increases without a vote has not been able to meet the demands of that growth.

“We just can’t keep up with the growth of the area,” he said.

More visitors translates into more vehicle crashes and a greater need for quicker response times. Equipment and maintenance costs are also rising, as are the number of three- and four-story structures that require the use of ladder trucks.

The district does not have a ladder truck, which requires the district to rely on mutual aid agreements with other agencies and longer response times.

The district’s five-year plan is to hire six firefighters at an annual cost of about $240,000. The district’s 10-year plan involves using $50,000 a year to cover the costs of a new fire engine and station.

Northside has one of the lowest tax rates for fire protection in Bonner County.

The Sagle and Sam Owen fire district charge $131 and $127, respectively, per $100,000 of value.

Westside Fire District, which has reverted back to an all-volunteer agency, charges $43, while Spirit Lake charges nearly $80.

Northside Fire is hosting another levy presentation at 6 p.m. on April 27 at Northside Elementary School.

 A third presentation is set for 6 p.m. on May 12 at the district’s main station in Ponderay.