Longview Fire open house to review levy proposal for 3rd station

The Longview Fire Department is hosting an open house on Wednesday evening to explain a property tax proposal to fund the city's third fire station.

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The event is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. at the station at 740 Commerce Ave.

A tour of the station kicks off at 5 p.m., while a presentation and Q&A are scheduled for 6 p.m.

The City Council is scheduled to attend.

The council is also scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to place the proposed measure on ballots.

The focus of the new property tax is to help the fire department build a new centrally located fire station - plus a training center - in the 2700 block of Ocean Beach Highway and adequately staff it.

Why is the station needed?

Chief Brad Hannig has touted the station as needed to improve response times and boost the city's insurance rating.

The fire department has 52 personnel and daily staffing of between 9 and 14 people, Hannig said in June. However, the industry standard response for a low-risk structure fire, "your typical house fire," is 16 firefighters, he added.

The agency routinely relies on mutual aid agreements with neighboring agencies such as Cowlitz 2, but Hannig voiced concerns that depending on mutual aid from outside the coverage area delays response times and potentially impacts outcomes.

A recent annual report from the fire department shows that Longview had 6,088 calls for service in 2024, down from a peak of 6,555 in 2022 but up significantly from the 4,037 recorded in 2010.

How much would the levy cost?

The tax levy lid lift would cost property owners in the fire district $1.15 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, starting in 2027.

The levy would cost the owner of a $399,900 home about $460 a year or $38 a month.

According to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, the median home price for Cowlitz County in the first quarter of 2026 was $399,900.

Previously, the council reviewed two separate tax measures: one for the fire station and another to cover EMS.

The council also previously considered spinning off the fire department into its own taxing district, but the plan was scrapped after it was deemed to be infeasible.

Editor's note: The Daily News reporter Nick Morgan contributed to this article.

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 4:23 AM.