Area fire districts put levies, bond on August primary ballot
Three Lewis County fire districts and two in Thurston County are seeking the public's vote on a variety of measures in the upcoming Aug. 4 primary election.
Lewis County
Lewis County Fire District 15, servicing the Winlock area, is running a six-year continuation levy for its emergency medical services (EMS) property tax. The proposition requests a levy rate of $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed property value, to be collected for six years, beginning in 2027.
According to the district, the levy continuation will allow it to keep current EMS staffing numbers, along with the level of services it now provides to residents.
The current EMS levy is set to expire Dec. 31, 2026. Passed in 2020, the EMS levy approved a tax rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
According to the district, the current tax rate is about $0.36 per $1,000, due to Washington state's 1% limit on property tax increases. Rising property values also affect this rate.
A simple majority of 50% plus one vote is required to pass the measure.
Lewis County Fire District 8, servicing Salkum, Cinebar, Silver Creek and surrounding areas, is running a levy lid lift for fire protection and EMS services that would restore the district's existing property tax to $0.88 per $1,000 of assessed value.
According to the measure's text, the proposition would also "authorize annual adjustments for the nine succeeding years based on the greater of one percent or the 12-month West Region CPI-U reported in June of each levy year."
According to the district, the establishment of the annual growth factor will allow it to account for the costs of inflation.
The current levy taxes residents at a rate $0.42 per $1,000 of assessed value, due to Washington state's 1% limit on property tax increases, according to the district.
A yes vote would restore the levy back to its 2016 rate of $0.88 per $1,000 of assessed value.
A simple majority of 50% plus one vote is required to pass the measure.
Lewis County Fire District 3, servicing the Mossyrock area, is running a levy lid lift for EMS services that would restore the district's existing property tax to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, to be collected in 2027.
"The funds will maintain and improve emergency medical services," the measure's text says. "The maximum allowable levy in 2026 shall serve as the base for computing subsequent levy limitations as provided by chapter 84.55 RCW."
In 2020, voters authorized the district to tax at a rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The current EMS levy taxes residents at about $0.31 per $1,000 of assessed value, due to the state's 1% limit on property tax increases, district officials said.
According to the district, 2026 is the last year residents will have to pay taxes for the district's unlimited tax general obligation (UTGO) bond.
"The fire levy funds will help us improve emergency services in several important ways," the district's website says. "Our goal is to reduce response times by increasing staffing, replacing outdated fire trucks (some over 40 years old), updating expired firefighting gear, and maintaining strong insurance ratings for the community."
A simple majority of 50% plus one vote is required to pass the measure.
Thurston County
The West Thurston Regional Fire Authority is running a maintenance and operation levy in its two service districts, Rochester and Littlerock.
If passed, the measure will allow West Thurston to levy $0.38 per $1,000 of assessed property value for four years to maintain the fire districts' current level of emergency services.
For its Rochester-based district, West Thurston would collect approximately $826,166 in 2027, $868,800 in 2028, $910,848 in 2029 and $956,500 in 2030.
"The District's current regular tax levies are insufficient to provide appropriate fire and emergency medical services to the 7,000 citizens of the Rochester-Grand Mound area," West Thurston said in the ballot measure's explanatory statement.
For its Littlerock-based district, the fire authority would collect approximately $807,020 in 2027, $847,300 in 2028, $889,699 in 2029 and $934,226 in 2030.
"The District's current regular tax levies are insufficient to provide appropriate fire and emergency medical services to the 9,000 citizens of the Littlerock-Maytown area," West Thurston said in the ballot measure's explanatory statement.
According to the fire district, the maintenance and operation levy has supplemented West Thurston's regular tax levy for the last several years and is essential for West Thurston to continue operating at its current level.
For the levy to pass, the two separate ballot measures each need to garner 60% approval. Voter turnout also needs to be at least 40% of the last election's turnout.
The Southeast Thurston Fire Authority is running a bond proposal on the Aug. 4 ballot.
The fire authority is asking voters to approve a $21.01 million bond to renovate and improve the Yelm, Lake Lawrence, Rainier and McIntosh Ridge fire stations, and to acquire additional firefighting and emergency response apparatus.
The measure needs 60% approval to pass, and requires a voter turnout of at least 40% of the turnout of the last election.
To learn more about each county's measures, visit lewiscountywa.gov and thurstoncountywa.gov.
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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 11:28 AM.