(The Center Square) - The Yakima City Council is considering another tax proposal to keep a local fire station from closing this summer after resorting to significant public safety cuts to balance the budget.
The officials closed a $9 million budget deficit heading into January, largely by cutting public safety by $6 million. They put a $6 million property tax hike on the ballot last November, hoping to maintain the status quo, but more than 51% of voters rejected the levy.
The fallout included a $1.75 million reduction for the Yakima Fire Department, which planned to offset it by closing Station 92 and redistributing staff to other facilities. Last month, the council responded to concerns by allocating $150,000 in limited reserves for overtime to keep Station 92 open until August.
Fire Chief Aaron Markham returned Tuesday at the council’s direction with details on how an EMS levy could fill the gap. He said a levy of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value could generate $3 million annually; $1.9 million would keep Station 92 open, with YFD using the rest to expand services.
“We have asked the parks to sacrifice. We've asked the police to sacrifice, and now we're talking about increasing the scope of the firefighting,” Councilmember Rick Glenn said, raising concerns given recent struggles to fund basic obligations. “We need these services, but we don't have an unlimited budget.”
Councilmember Patricia Byers offered similar concerns and hoped to direct any additional revenues to offset cuts to the Yakima Police Department and Parks and Recreation. If they put an EMS levy on the ballot, the city can spend that money only on relevant things, and it can’t supplant existing funding.
Councilmember Juliet Potrykus questioned whether expanding services through a levy would lead to future challenges.
State law limits annual property tax increases to 1%.
Markham acknowledged that, but said any future renewal would require only a simple majority, rather than a 60% supermajority.
“I’m curious if [the EMS levy] will beget another levy at a higher level, over and over,” Potrykus said.
Mayor Matt Brown said he wants to see a plan for how the city would distribute revenue from the levy if it goes on the ballot this year. Byers and Glenn suggested a public safety levy instead, since the city could use it for police services as well. But Potrykus said this levy is still only half of the last proposal.
The officials ultimately voted 4-2 to direct city staff to return with a financial analysis for the EMS levy.
Yakima County also has an EMS levy at the same rate, which expires in 2029. City staff said any EMS levy that the city puts on the ballot must expire at the same time. It typically runs for six years, but in this case, the city would have to run a shorter levy and renew it on a separate ballot from the county.
The council noted that the county will likely go after an EMS levy renewal in 2028, and if it fails, they could try again in 2029. That would push the city’s renewal timeline, potentially leaving a gap year.
If the county raises its levy to 50 cents, the city would receive some of that revenue based on population and other factors, but the city would be barred from setting its own levy due to a countywide cap.
“We're basically at the mercy of the county,” Byers said. “They have the upper hand in making that decision.”
