The quarterly meeting of the Lewis County Fire Commissioners Association brought first responders together Monday for an evening of pulled pork and a wide-ranging agenda, which included a discussion of a new ordinance forbidding interference with a firefighter and the county’s smoke detector distribution program.
After the failure of a ballot initiative to fund the county’s 911 center with a sales tax increase, first responders were eager to know if voters would see the measure in future elections and, if so, what could be done to increase its chances of passing.
“From my perspective, and obviously, I think I speak for all three of us, we support our EMS and fire services,” said Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer. “We have talked about this as commissioners, that we know it’s the right thing to do, to shift this funding. It’s a better representation to be able to fund this through sales and use, versus property tax and the levy system. So this is just round one, from my perspective.”
As for when round two could take place, an audience member hadn’t completed the question before Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope said November 2024.
With only an estimated three ballots left to count, results released by the Lewis County Auditor Monday afternoon show the initiative is failing by roughly 3.5%. The initiative had support from the City of Centralia, the Fire Chiefs Association and the 911 Communications Combined User Committee for Lewis County.
If passed, Lewis County would have collected a .2% sales tax to fund its 911 call center, a rate of two cents for every $10, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Brummer said he was “encouraged” by the vote, particularly with the economy and an apprehension among Lewis County residents to support a tax increase. Brummer pointed to the difference of 626 votes as a reason for optimism.
“I think it shows that people are still in support of what you guys do, and I hope that you are encouraged by it,” Brummer said. “And, like I said, it’s just round one.”
After regrouping, Brummer said, future conversations would center around whether to again ask voters for a 911 tax or “three-tenths for public safety tax.”
Brummer said in the future, “We need to do a better job of educating the public and getting the word out.”
George Kaech, a fire commissioner with Lewis County Fire District 8 in Salkum, said previous discussions have centered around getting factual information out, though the message didn’t necessarily land.
“People did not realize that two-tenths of a percent is two dollars a thousand,” Kaech said. “It never got put out, the numbers.”
Kaech said the majority of the impact would be felt by large businesses, such as retailers and car dealerships, “not us poor people.”
“We just did not get the message out to the people,” Kaech said. “If we would have gotten the message out to the people, it would have passed with flying colors.”
Another concern, Brummer said, was lack of funding for the “yes” campaign. The campaign raised $850 from three or four donors, which funded radio ads.
“That’s just an extremely limited budget,” Brummer said. “So, that’s a responsibility for all of us.”
Lewis County Commissioner Lindsey Pollock said she is “looking forward to us putting forward a more concerted effort.”
“We have two choices: it goes through property tax, or we start shifting it over to sales tax,” Pollock said.
“I think everybody in here knows that, and I look forward to moving it forward.”
