West Richland EMS Levy Election Coming April 27

No doubt you’ve seen the blue election signs around town: It’s almost time to vote again on a levy for funding emergency services in West Richland. The Benton County Fire Protection District has a detailed web page that explains what the vote is about and why it’s needed. It includes this chart that shows 50% of the district’s calls in 2009 were for medical/EMS reasons.

So far in 2010, a whopping 93% of the district’s calls have been EMS-related.

The levy is asking for 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to be added to residents’ property taxes. For a home valued at $150,000, the levy would cost about $6 to $7 per year. Unlike the 2008 election that included a bond measure, this year’s vote is only for an EMS levy.

Benefits of Approving the EMS Levy

If the levy passes with 60% of voters saying “yes,” BCFD #4 will begin providing round-the-clock trained staffing of local EMS/ambulance services. No more waiting for an ambulance to arrive from Richland or Benton City.

Local ambulance service will have “low/no direct costs” for people living within the district.

The funds raised will pay for purchase of the ambulances, related medical equipment to provide EMS, and remodels of the stations to house the ambulances.

Just as in we did in 2008, Cari and I will be voting for this levy this year, too. God forbid something happen at home … I don’t want to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance to get here. No thanks. West Richland is growing. We need ambulances nearby.

The election is set for April 27.

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!