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Local firefighters ask Veneta council to back Lane Fire levy renewal and increase
Summary
Lane Professional Firefighters Local 851 urged Veneta council to consider a resolution supporting a voter measure to renew a 35-cent levy and add 20 cents, warning staffing reductions and longer response times without the funding and announcing a planned community town hall.
Representatives of Lane Fire Authority told the Veneta City Council on March 9 that the department will ask voters this spring to renew its current 35-cent levy and approve a 20-cent increase.
Captain Katy Johnson, representing Lane Professional Firefighters Local 851, said the levy funds 24-hour staffing of firefighters and paramedics who respond across the department’s service area and cautioned that without renewal the authority would face staffing reductions, fewer available units and longer response times. She asked that the council consider adopting a resolution in support of the levy and announced plans for a community town hall in late April or early May.
Communications Specialist Mike McFarlane added that the authority covers over 400 square miles for ambulance service and described the current ambulance staffing as “2.5 ambulances,” emphasizing that response-time differences significantly affect cardiac-arrest outcomes. He urged councilors to engage voters and noted the department needs roughly 600 additional votes to pass the measure, according to his presentation.
No formal council resolution was introduced at the March 9 meeting; the remarks were made during the public-comment period and the council did not take an immediate formal vote.
