Edmonds town hall outlines costs, services and risks ahead of April 22 annexation vote

Edmonds city officials and representatives of South County Fire presented details and answered residents’ questions at a town-hall meeting about a ballot measure on April 22 that would annex Edmonds into the South County Fire Regional Fire Authority (RFA).

Council member Olson, who led the presentation, said annexation is the lowest-cost option the city identified to maintain the current level of fire and emergency medical services. “Annexation to South County Fire is the lowest cost option to maintain the level of quality of our emergency services,” Council member Olson said.

The meeting outlined what would change for residents if annexation passes: property owners would pay South County Fire directly for fire and EMS services rather than the city, Edmonds residents would be able to run for RFA board seats and vote on RFA levies and bond measures, and the city’s separate EMS levy would be eliminated because EMS funding would come through South County Fire.

Why it matters: City officials said the current 15-year contract with South County Fire ends this year and the city faces a structural budget gap driven by years of rising costs, capped property-tax growth and one-time funding already used to smooth prior budgets. City presenters said continuing a contract (rather than annexing) or starting a new, city-run department would likely cost significantly more per year and would force deeper cuts or new taxes.

Officials gave several cost examples. Under the presentation’s figures, the combination of the city levy and the EMS levy that Edmonds residents currently pay (presented as roughly $1.00 per $1,000 of assessed value when combined) would be replaced by South County Fire’s levy plus a voter-approved benefit charge; presenters showed a figure of about $1.29 per $1,000 for properties that are already in the RFA and said the net effect for the “average” house in Edmonds would be an increase of roughly $36–$37 per month for fire and EMS under annexation. The city also said a Station 20 rebuild is roughly a $20,000,000 capital cost that the RFA would assume if annexation is approved.

South County Fire representatives described service levels and funding mechanisms. The RFA speaker said the agency runs about 40,000 calls annually from 15 stations across southwest Snohomish County and that most calls are medical in nature; the RFA speaker also noted a cardiac-arrest survival rate the agency reported at about 71 percent for people who leave the hospital and return to normal life.

Funding mechanisms explained included property-tax levies for fire and EMS, plus a parcel-based “benefit charge” (set by the RFA board and subject to voter approval for renewals). The RFA representative said the benefit charge is calculated by structure size and risk rather than property value so similar-sized homes pay the same benefit charge regardless of market value; an example shown in the presentation used a 2,500-square-foot house.

City leaders and the RFA explained the two outcomes if voters reject or approve annexation. If annexation passes, Edmonds would join Mill Creek, Briar, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood within the RFA and existing Edmonds fire stations would be transferred to the RFA for use. Council members said the city intends to retain, “on paper,” the portion of local tax revenue previously assigned to the fire contract so the city can apply those funds to other city services; the council’s vote to retain that revenue portion was described at the town hall as unanimous. If annexation fails, officials said the city would still need to pay market cost for fire and EMS and would need to identify roughly $8.9 million more for the next contract year plus additional structural budget fixes; speakers warned that could require new taxes, deeper cuts to city services or other revenue measures.

Public comment included residents who both urged approval and expressed concern about higher bills. Warner Edwards, a recent Edmonds resident and former EMT, said of the firefighters, “I trust these people with our lives.” Other commenters asked detailed questions about long-term levy timing, how benefit charges are set, whether station property transfers are free, and what a city-built department would cost. In response to questions about creating a new Edmonds department from scratch, city staff estimated front‑end startup costs in the tens of millions of dollars and said recruitment and training would take about a year while the city would still need to contract for service in the interim.

No formal vote was taken at the meeting; officials urged residents to review the voter pamphlet, the RFA’s website and a Fitch study posted online for comparative analysis and to cast ballots on April 22.

Ending note: Officials said this was the final scheduled town hall before the special election and reiterated contact points for follow-up questions and documents on the RFA website, including the Fitch report referenced during the presentation.