Poulsbo asks voters to renew EMS levy to keep paying salaries, training, equipment

Poulsbo Fire Department is asking voters to renew a property tax levy to keep funding the department's emergency medical services in the next six years.

The current EMS levy rate in Poulsbo is $0.37 per $1,000 of assessed value. In 2019, voters approved an EMS levy rate of $0.50/$1000 of assessed value. As property values increase, the EMS rate has dropped throughout the years due to the state's 1% cap on overall tax revenue growth.

That means the levy, if approved, would see the rate increase by $0.13/$1,000 of assessed value to restore the EMS levy to $0.50. A person with a home valued at $400,000 in Poulsbo will pay an extra $52 a year, or a total of about $200 annually to fund EMS services, starting in 2025.

The tax revenue will be used to pay for the fire department's EMS program, training and equipment, Poulsbo Fire Chief Jim Gillard said.

"This is dedicated funding for emergency medical services," Gillard emphasized. "This will allow us to maintain our current level and continue to grow."

The district currently has 61 EMS staff members, including 18 paramedics, 35 emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B), and 8 volunteer EMT-B. In 2025, the department plans to add 2 paramedics and 6 volunteer EMT-B.

In addition to EMS levy, taxpayers in Poulsbo pay a fire levy for the department's operation, which is a permanent levy that voters approved at the rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in 1987.

The fire levy is responsible for 70% of the department’s revenue and the EMS levy is responsible for 23%. PFD receives additional revenue from service fees, like EMS transport fees and temporary grants from federal, state, and local programs, according to the department.

In 2023, the call volume Poulsbo Fire Department received, including all incidents in the fire district, is 4,015 — a slight decrease from 4,324 in 2022. The department estimated that the call volume will reach 4,485 for the whole year of 2024.

"So far this year, we've had an 18% increase in call volume," Gillard said.

The PBD's average response time from January to the end of June this year is 6 minutes 26 seconds, which is faster than 6 minutes and 43 seconds for the same period in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Poulsbo asks voters to renew EMS levy