WPOFD to rerun bond in November
PRIEST RIVER — Will the second time be the charm? The West Pend Oreille Fire District’s commissioners are hoping so.
Commissioners decided June 7 to ask voters to approve a $500,000 bond this November. A majority of voters recently approved the bond, as well as a levy increase. However, neither measure reached the critical two-thirds mark required to become law. Commissioners met June 7 to discuss how to proceed following the disappointing results at the ballot box.
The bond would allow the fire district to get a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the fire district’s website, the bond would not raise taxes on local residents.
“We have the money allocated in our current budget to make the annual payments on this government loan. However, because it is a large amount of money, we are required to request the permission of the taxpayers in our district through a bond measure,” said the website.
The fire district plans on using the money to finish work on Station 3 on Old Priest River Road, and to construct a fourth station on East River Road near the new dump site.
By expanding, Station 3 would become the fire district’s primary training facility, and a place for local residents to get running water and electricity during power outages or storms. Station 1 currently provides that to residents on the other side of the river. Station 3 houses four to six fire trucks. Station 4 would do the same, said the website.
At the commissioners’ meeting, Chief Les Kokanos said that many voters were confused about the levy. He also said they thought the bond would cost them something, whereas it would only give voter approval of the district obtaining a USDA loan. Commissioners observed that more people voted for the levy in May than for the bond, even though the bond would have cost them nothing.
Fire Commissioner Terry Watts asked the group if it would be more difficult to pass a bond or levy during the presidential election this November. “Will anybody vote for anything that costs them something without knowing the outcome of the election?” Jamie Painton pointed out that the school district would run a levy in May 2017, and so a fire bond or levy would be harder to run at the same time as the school levy. Commissioner Bob Hatfield said regardless of when the fire district reruns the bond vote, that USDA funding would be available. “The interest rate may change, but the ability to fund it will be there.”
Ultimately commissioners decided to run the bond vote again this November, and then if that passes to run the levy vote in the next year or so.