Lynden approves higher fire fees on new development

ISABELLE DILLS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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LYNDEN - The city hopes to raise about $1 million from impact fees paid by new development during the next six years to help the fire department handle growth.

City Council members approved the fees after a public hearing Sept. 2. No one from the public spoke at the hearing, according to City Council minutes.

Fire impact fees for new houses will increase from $360 to $517, and apartments and condos will increase from $212 to $389. Commercial property owners will pay 28 cents per square foot of commercial space - an increase of 8 cents, according to the City Council minutes.

This is the first increase in fire impact fees since 1994.

The impact fees, as well as property taxes, voter-approved bonds and council bonds, will provide the funding for fire facilities and services.

Fire Chief Gary Baar said he would like to use a portion of the impact fees to buy a new fire truck equipped with a 125-foot ladder.

The Lynden Fire Department has had the same 75-foot-ladder truck for 27 years, Baar said. Most fire trucks can run for 15 years before they need an engine overhaul, he said.

"It's costing a lot of money to keep it going," Baar said.

The old ladder fire truck is also becoming less effective as taller buildings are constructed in Lynden. The 75-foot ladder is good for reaching most two-story buildings, but it can't safely reach the roof of a building three stories or more, Baar said. The ladder has to be put up right against the building, and that's a hazard if the building is on fire or in danger of collapsing.

The new fire truck would cost almost $1 million. Baar said he would like to use about $300,000 from the impact fees. The remaining funding is considered a replacement cost and would have to come from other sources such as the general fund or through a grant, Baar said.

The new ladder truck also would require a new truck bay, which could cost an estimated $100,000 to $130,000, Baar said.

The higher impact fees also could help pay for new training grounds for the firefighters off Birch Bay-Lynden Road.

The department currently trains on the streets and in parking lots, but it has become difficult to train in these locations because of increased residential growth, Baar said.

"It's a little dangerous," he said. "We don't want anyone getting run over."