Lifting the Tacoma cap will go before voters in November

The Tacoma Fire Department is urging voters to support another tax cap hike. Supporters say it would help the department pay for much-needed improvements, including upgrading stations and replacing aging fire engines.

On June 18, the Tacoma City Council approved ballot language to lift the proposed fire tax cap, which will be voted on on November 5. That would raise the city’s regular property tax levy by $0.65 per $1,000 of assessed value, raising around $1,000. 30 million dollars a year.

“Our facilities are in desperate need of repair due to deferred maintenance,” Fire Chief Tory Green told the News Tribune. “Our machines (vehicles) are well past their useful life. Much of our firefighting equipment is well past its useful life.”

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Passing the tax would mean the average homeowner (with a home worth $450,000) would pay an extra $25 a month, according to the city. By contrast, last year’s EMS cap hike — intended to expand emergency medical services in Tacoma — translated into $9.04 each month for the owner of a property assessed at $493,000.

More than 450 firefighters from 17 stations serve the areas overseen by the Tacoma Fire Department, according to the city.

During a June 11 study session, Green told city leaders that a recent study by a consultant showed 85 percent of the department’s facilities are in critical or poor condition. Call volume has increased over the past decade, he said, but more than 60 percent of the department’s fleet is “beyond its useful life.”

The money from lifting the cap would help the department get two fire trucks each year and a ladder truck every two years, Green said. The department could replace its entire fleet every eight years.

Green added that it’s “probably the best” fleet replacement plan he’s seen in three decades.

“It seems like it’s a little overdue,” Council member Olgy Diaz said during the study session. “It’s exciting.”

“It’s a little late,” Green agreed.

What else would lifting the tax cap do?

Property tax is a key source of revenue for the department, Green told the News Tribune. State law caps annual property tax increases at 1 percent, but that rate “doesn’t even come close” to keeping up with the department’s growing spending, he said.

The city warned that if the tax is not approved in November, residents could see longer emergency response times. The News Tribune previously reported that in 2018, it took crews across the department an average of 7 minutes to get to the scene of an emergency. In 2023, the average response time was 8 minutes and 20 seconds, fire department spokeswoman Chelsea Shepherd said by email. The condition of stations, equipment and apparatus could continue to decline.

Some vehicles meant to respond to 2,500 incidents a year have reached about 4,500, Green said. Even as the city’s population grew steadily, the department’s fleet did not.

“When I joined the fire department in 1993, we had 20 first responders: 16 engines and four ladder (fire trucks),” Green said. “And it’s 2024 and we still have 20 first responders: 16 engines and four ladders.”

Shepherd noted via email that the estimated price to purchase and equip a fire truck is about $1 million. It costs around $2 million for a ladder truck.

The Tacoma Fire Department responded to about 51,500 emergency incidents last year, according to the city’s website. The total 2023-2024 budget is approximately $245.9 million, of which approximately 62 percent comes from the city’s general fund.

The department’s call volume has increased 36 percent since 2010, according to the city’s website.

Verde attributes that growth in part to Tacoma’s continued growth: Today, its population is nearly 223,900, after gaining about 20,000 people since 2014, according to the World Population Review. The more people move into the area, the more calls there will be – and it’s likely to get busier in the coming years.

By 2050, Tacoma’s population is expected to grow by 36 percent, according to the city’s 2024 Fire Facilities Master Plan.

Green cited another major factor in the increase in calls: People who don’t have access to primary care providers often rely on 911 for help.

“By far the largest increase in our calls is in emergency medical services,” Green said.

For example, Shepherd said, the department saw a 42 percent increase in EMS calls from 2006 to 2023.

What equipment do firefighters need?

Approval of lifting the toll cap would mean the department would see benefits beyond replenishing its fleet. Green said other critical, potentially life-saving items the department needs include:

• Self-contained breathing apparatus, used for breathing in smoky environments.

• Extrication equipment, used to cut people out of cars.

• Thermal imaging cameras, used to see through smoke.

The proposed tax increase would help the department begin to address about $8 million a year in deteriorating facilities, Green said.

Most of the department’s facilities were built for a different era, Green added. For example, three fire stations were built with horse-drawn equipment in mind.

What’s next for the proposal?

Ballot language to lift fire tax cap approved. So what’s next?

Applications to join the committees “for” and “against” the proposal will be considered in mid-July, according to Green’s study session presentation. Later that month, the City Council will adopt these committees.

The Town Clerk will send the relevant tax materials to the Pierce County Elections Office in August. Election day is November 5.

How Tacomans would vote on another tax cap raise has yet to be determined. A critic of last year’s EMS proposal told the News Tribune that such tax increases are tough on property owners and residents.

“I was shocked that they just want to institute another tax … it never goes away,” Donna Walters told the News Tribune at the time. “They shouldn’t be asking landlords to pay for every evil in our city. It’s on our shoulders and it’s getting heavier and heavier, the burden is getting heavy.”

Green said he appreciates how the tax hike could affect residents. He noted that there are exemptions for veterans, seniors and others who qualify.

The department doesn’t want to increase the burden on taxpayers, Green said. But if the proposal doesn’t pass, then the services people get after calling 911 could take a hit.

“I think I’ve helped paint a picture of the state of the current Fire Department, and if this is not addressed, the call volume and the number of people moving here will not be affected – it continues to grow. Green added. “And yet we don’t have the resources to do enough work today.

“It’s a recognized impact, but it’s an impact for the community.”