Another West Richland EMS Vote in … 2010?

It might be a couple years before West Richland residents will be asked again to support ambulance services in town. I wrote before the election about how Cari and I both supported the West Richland EMS measures, and a majority of voters were also in favor of it, but it didn’t get the required 60% approval.

Now, because of the rules to get these kinds of measures approved, local fire officials might decide against putting it back on the ballot in 2009, and instead wait until 2010. From the Herald:

In addition to needing 60 percent voter approval, the election has to be certified by having at least 40 percent of voters from the last general election turnout. The high voter turnout in this year’s historic presidential election might make it hard to meet that 40 percent mark next time around, Spring said.

So, since turnout was so high this year, there’s a chance next year’s election might not meet that 40 percent minimum.

Fire Chief Mike Spring said some interesting things in that article, too, about why the two measures didn’t pass:

“Throughout our public meetings, we had 90 percent approval, but … you can’t get a good cross representation at public meetings,” Spring said. “I thought if (residents) vote with their wallets open, I didn’t think it was going to pass. I still believe … the community wants us to be a full-service fire department,” he added. “But that might be my rose-colored glasses.”

“Obviously a majority wants this, just not a supermajority,” Spring said. “I think we would have gotten the supermajority had the economic times not been in such turmoil.”

Thank you for reading this article on the West Richland Real Estate Blog. If you arrived here looking for specific real estate information, or would like to speak with a friendly, fun, professional, and low-pressure real estate agent, please contact Cari via her web site or call her directly at 509 – 430 – 5342 and she’ll be glad to help. Thanks again for visiting!