The public process: As part of this annual budgeting process, the District maintains a long-range financial planning model. This allows us to make predictions on our revenue, inflationary increases, and other factors that may affect our budget over a six-year planning horizon. The budgeting process for 2011 begins in August and includes a number of Commissioner workshops and a public hearing. These meetings will be announced in the paper and the public is encouraged to attend.
2011 Expense Fund: $6,153,415.
This includes levy funds for fire and emergency services:
- $3,089,890 Fire Levy: 98 cent/$1,000 assessed valuation. The last fire levy was passed in 2004 and is a permanent levy.
- $1,672,215 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Levy, assessed at a rate of 50 cents/$1,000 assessed valuation. The last EMS levy was passed in 2009 and is a 6-year levy.
Levies may only be used for operating expenses such as salaries, fuel, and medical supplies. However, because of the state-imposed limit, property tax revenue can only increase by 1 percent. So even if your property valuation goes up, and inflation raises District expenses, the districts share of your property tax will not increase more than 1 percent.
The remaining revenue comes from ambulance transport fees, contracts for services, grants, and other miscellaneous sources. The expenditures of expense funds are broken down as follows:
· Fire Operations - $1,142,163
· EMS Operations - $3,297,183
· Training - $169,502
· Special Rescue - $21,485
· Apparatus Maintenance - $355,330
· Facility Maintenance - $137,809
· Administration (including Emergency Management) - $749,275
· Legislative Governance - $105,034
· Debt Service - $175,634
Total - $6,153,415
In 2004 the Fire District developed a Capital Facilities Plan to ensure that our facilities were sufficient to meet the needs of Island residents both at the time as well as into the future. This plan focused heavily on both the ability to withstand seismic events as well as the ability to house additional staffing as we continue to grow as a community.
In 2008, the voters approved a $10 million dollar bond to implement several major components of the Capital Facilities Plan. With the exception of one, we have completed all projects associated with the bond to date. The completed projects include a remodel and seismic retrofits and water supply upgrades. (See more here.)
These Bond funds can only be used for capital projects. They cannot be used to pay for any of the maintenance and operations expenses. The breakdown of the costs for each of these projects is as follows:
· Country Club Station - $1,430,282
· Vista Madrona Station - $4,286,954
· Terry's Corner Station - $2,200,000
· Administration Building - $1,630,591
· Madrona Station Water Supply - $308,568
· Apparatus - $353,706
Total - $10,210,101
