City presenter outlines proposed Regional Fire Authority, tax impact and startup loan

A city presenter outlined the Regional Fire Authority (RFA) ballot measure during a recorded question-and-answer session, saying the RFA would set a 2026 tax rate of $1.05 and transfer city fire and emergency medical services assets to the new authority.

The presenter said the city currently uses about $0.88 of its general-fund levy to support fire service and that the council plans to reduce the city property-tax levy by 81 cents in 2026 and a further 7 cents when a current levy lid lift expires in 2027. After those reductions, the presenter said voters would see a net increase of about 17 cents — roughly $100 a year for the average household — compared with existing funding arrangements. "The RFA rate for 2026, if we all decide as voters to put the RFA in place, is a dollar 5," the presenter said.

Why it matters: organizers and city officials say an RFA would unify governance and funding for fire and EMS, provide three-person engine companies and standardize service rates across neighboring jurisdictions. The presenter cited multiple independent reviews and a 2022 financial and governance analysis by Marina and Company that, he said, recommended the RFA as the preferred option after examining alternatives such as amending an interlocal agreement or forming a municipal fire district.

Details and mechanics: the presenter said all city fire stations, apparatus, ambulances and equipment would transfer to the RFA while citizens would remain the ultimate 'shareholders' of those assets. He described initial governance as a board composed of city councilors, with the possibility of later moving to separately elected commissioners and appointed council seats. On timing, the presenter noted property-tax receipts arrive in large tranches in April and October; because the RFA would need early-year cash for payroll and operations, both cities plan to loan the RFA about $4.4 million ("plus or minus," per the presenter), to be repaid over three years at the same interest rate the cities could earn in the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP).

The presenter also summarized how the 1% property-tax system allocates levies and pointed listeners to informational slides drawn from MRSC (Municipal Research and Services Center) for a simplified example of how the tax shift would operate. He encouraged viewers to review the recording and slides for the full detail and invited follow-up questions; staff monitoring the Zoom session reported no hands raised during the live Q&A.

Next steps: this was an informational session ahead of a ballot measure; no formal action or vote occurred during the session. Viewers were urged to review the posted materials and to vote on the measure when it appears on the ballot.