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Baker council sends 10‑mill fire levy to voters after limiting measure to 10 years
Summary
The City of Baker council amended a proposed perpetual 10‑mill fire levy to a 10‑year term and voted unanimously to send the measure to a special election on June 27, 2026; firefighters' union representatives told the council they accepted the amendment.
The City of Baker council voted on March 10 to send a proposed 10‑mill fire levy to a special election on June 27, 2026, after amending language that would have allowed the levy in perpetuity to a 10‑year term.
Councilmember Dr. Charles Vincent pressed the council to avoid a perpetual levy, saying during debate that he "cannot vote for this with perpetuity," citing examples of nearby jurisdictions that set similar levies for fixed terms. The council discussed how perpetual language would allow the governing body to levy up to 10 mills every year unless voters or a future measure changed that policy.
Carmen Snow, who addressed the council on behalf of union counsel and the ballot process, summarized the procedural steps: the council adopts the resolution calling the election, the proposition goes to the voters on June 27, 2026, and subsequent bond and implementation steps would follow if approved. Ronald Brady, president of Local 3797 representing Baker firefighters, told the council on the record that the union would accept the amendment changing the term to 10 years.
After the amendment was offered and seconded, the council called the question and each district recorded a vote in favor (Districts 1–5 reported ‘yes’). The mayor declared the motion carried and the resolution forwarded to the voters.
What this means: If voters approve the proposition on June 27, 2026, the council would be authorized to levy up to 10 mills to fund a third engine, personnel, and salary and benefit increases for fire department employees; the measure as amended sets a 10‑year period before voters would need to consider extending or revising the levy.
Next steps: The city will place the amended proposition on the June 27, 2026 special election ballot and proceed with bond commission review and any required post‑election steps if the ballot measure wins voter approval.
Quotes captured in the record include Dr. Vincent’s concern about perpetuity and Ronald Brady’s statement that the union "would accept that amendment." The council’s recorded district-level votes were reported in open session and the mayor announced the motion carried.
The council did not record a roll‑call identifying individual councilmembers’ full names for each district vote in the transcript; votes were announced by district number as ‘yes.’
