Area might lose fire service

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Copyright=20 The McClatchy Company Jan 22, 2006

Residents of North Puyallup might soon feel the = effects of=20 their refusal to annex into the City of Puyallup, = paying a=20 price for last fall's vote to remain independent.

City leaders want to stop providing fire service to = the=20 neighboring area of about 1,500 residents. They're now = considering a deadline of June 30, which is 2 1/2 = years=20 earlier than their city manager had proposed.

"We need to end it sooner rather than later," new = Mayor=20 Mike Deal said of the contract with North Puyallup. = "It's a=20 fairly large area, and our firefighters are stretched = thin as=20 it is. It doesn't make sense to provide services = outside the=20 city."

If North Puyallup hasn't found an alternate = provider of=20 fire and ambulance services by this summer, the city = said it=20 would extend the deadline.

But for North Puyallup Fire District No. 11, which=20 encompasses the unincorporated area, having additional = time=20 might not make a difference. Rather, it's a question = of=20 whether the small community can find someone else to = provide=20 emergency protection at all.

"I don't really have many options right now," said = Alec=20 Perozzo, a commissioner of the fire district.

Perozzo said reorganizing volunteer firefighters = and=20 equipping them "would be impossible."

"We don't have anything. We don't even have a=20 building."

The district collects about $130,000 annually in = property=20 taxes, which goes to the city in exchange for fire = protection.=20 When the district ran its own fire services, up to = $50,000 of=20 its revenues got sucked up by insurance premiums, = station=20 maintenance, elections and other costs. That left = little to=20 shore up the fire department.

About the only option now, Perozzo said, would be = to ask=20 another neighboring city or fire district to take = over.

Puyallup has provided fire and ambulance service to = North=20 Puyallup since 2003, when the local fire district said = it no=20 longer could maintain volunteers and equipment.

"At the time it made sense because we thought the = area=20 would eventually become part of the city," Deal = said.

In November, however, North Puyallup voters turned = down a=20 measure that would have annexed them into the city. = About 60=20 percent of voters said no, catching local leaders by=20 surprise.

"That was a no-brainer," Perozzo said. "That should = have=20 gone through."

North Puyallup residents would have received city = services=20 for less money since the total property tax rate in = Puyallup=20 last year was lower than the fire district's - by $100 = annually for a house assessed at $200,000.

Yet many North Puyallup residents and business = owners said=20 they feared city regulations and the extra = out-of-pocket costs=20 they might have to shoulder to bring in better water = and sewer=20 lines.

After the election, Puyallup City Manager Jim Bacon = was set=20 to recommend the City Council extend its North = Puyallup fire=20 contract until the end of 2008. That's when the area = is=20 expected to be taken out of the city's urban growth = area.

But Puyallup's elected officials, daunted by the = expense of=20 serving the area, don't want to wait that long.

Deal said the city is growing on the south side of = the=20 railroad tracks, where it has two fire stations.

And the city plans to build another station on = South Hill=20 to meet increasing demands there.

That explains why the city can't afford extra = stress on its=20 only station on the north side of the tracks, Deal = said.

There are only two other fire service providers = nearby,=20 Perozzo said. But Edgewood Fire District No. 8 doesn't = seem=20 interested, leaving the City of Sumner as the only = option.

"We anticipated that a call would be coming from = the=20 district," said John Doan, Sumner city = administrator.

At this point, he said, Sumner is not shutting the=20 door.

"From my point of view, I want to know how many = calls they=20 get, what kind of calls they get, what kind of = resources they=20 have," Doan said. "Then, we'll discuss what we want to = do."

- - -

Eijiro Kawada: 253-597-8633

eijiro.kawada@thenewstribune.com


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Area might lose fire = service=20
City of Puyallup = wants to cut=20 ties with North Puyallup far earlier than planned. = Puyallup=20 wants to move up the deadline for cutting off fire = service to=20 about 1,500 residents outside city limits. Sumner and = Edgewood=20 appear the best alternatives.
[SOUTH SOUND = Edition]



The News Tribune - Tacoma, Wash. =
Author:	EIJIRO KAWADA
Date:	Jan 22, 2006
Section:	South Sound/Local
Text Word Count:	681



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Caption: BW GRAPHIC = ILLUSTRATION -=20 MAP / Fred Matamoros/The News Tribune - = Puyallup: Area=20 that might lose services=20 (B02)

Credit: The News Tribune

Reproduced with permission of = the=20 copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution = is=20 prohibited without permission.

Abstract = (Document=20 Summary)

Puyallup has provided fire and ambulance service to = North=20 Puyallup since 2003, when the local fire district said = it no=20 longer could maintain volunteers and equipment.

Reproduced with permission of = the=20 copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution = is=20 prohibited without permission.

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