Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Voters in Palouse will decide a levy lid lift proposal on ballots for the first time Nov. 5. The measure, which would raise the town’s property tax limit, was approved for placement on the ballot by the city council this summer.
Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove said the purpose of the levy is to make up for losses in state support along with creating a long-term strategy to pay for the fire department.
Instead of Palouse’s current tax limit of $2.49 per $1,000 of assessed property value, the ballot proposal would raise it 61 cents to $3.10.
If approved, the levy would put the Palouse property tax at $3.60 per $1,000.
The extra 50 cents goes to the Whitman County Library District.
“It’s a tool available that will help the community,” Echanove said. “Pullman just ran theirs in August for the same reasons. Revenues generated from the proposed lid lift will help keep the programs and amenities we enjoy in Palouse strong.”
Statewide revenues distributed to communities such as Palouse historically go into a town’s current expense fund, which in Palouse pays for city programs such as the cemetery, a part of employee wages, parks, and police and fire departments.
The town’s plan for the fire department involves replacing three key pieces of equipment, a 1987 pumper tanker truck, a 1990 tanker and air packs.
For all fire department expenditures, the city of Palouse shares the cost with the Whitman County Rural Fire District No. 4.
The city has paid for its portion of recent projects out of reserves, such as the new fire hall building built in 2005 and three used fire trucks bought between 2004-08.
“The lift is a good way to slowly build up the resources needed in the fire department,” Echanove said.
This summer, while the city council decided to seek the increase with the levy, Echanove was also going to Joint Fire Board meetings and talking with Fire Chief Mike Bagott on a future plan for the department.
Bagott has worked much of this year exploring avenues for raising funds over the long term.
“However it is done, it’s a matter of making sure we prepare in advance for these expenditures,” said Bagott. “What we’re trying to do is work on a 30-year replacement schedule for our fire apparatus.”
The chief said that due to rising costs the department will never have new trucks again, but he hopes they can stay at a 30-year replacement schedule rather than a 30 to 40 year range they were at in the 1990s.
Aside from use, fire trucks also wear out from lack of use, especially in rural areas, Bagott said. Seals dry out and components degrade on trucks that often have just 2,000-3,000 miles on them in 30 years.
“Like any vehicle or even the human body, there is a certain level of decay that takes place from not being used,” Bagott said. “And with fire trucks, when they need to work, they need to work.”
If the levy passes, he said the department will be in a better spot.
“We would be in a stronger position to buy what’s best versus what’s available,” he said.
As for the air packs, the Palouse department will need to replace them at a cost of $5,500 to $6,000 each. This includes the frame, bottle, mask and spare bottle.
Since the department bought their existing packs 10 years ago, advances include a remaining-air display inside the mask compared to a gauge on the shoulder strap, which Palouse has now.
“My biggest fear as a fire chief is that we don’t slide back to the level we were at before,” Bagott said, referring to equipment.
“What we have now is light years ahead of what we replaced,” he said.
An example Bagott cited was that when he started with the department in 1995, a crew could bring 4,000 gallons of water to a fire, while now they can bring 8,500.
This means firefighters can pump a lot of water at high pressure before having to hook into a fire hydrant, which takes time.
Overall, the chief indicated that he believes the levy is a good plan to continue the department’s mission to keep costs as low as possible while having a strong fire department.
“Obviously, when you talk about somebody’s life, these numbers don’t mean anything,” he said.
Overall, Echanove thinks the levy is worthwhile.
“Our citizens have been awfully good in the past at supporting our city, and I hope they consider our levy request for this year,” he said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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