Fire EMS 2022-03-08 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Q: Wouldn't Fire District 24 need to continue if the RFA were formed? A: No, they could request to be dissolved, unless the agreed governance model required them to send commissioners to serve on the RFA governing board. Criteria Discussion Committee members discussed which of the criteria were most important to them. Common responses included C (Total costs to residents and businesses), F (Quality of services), and J (Sustainability of funding). Committee Discussion Ms. Reed presented a recap of Options 1-5 and asked Committee members to discuss pros and cons of each. Comments that emerged included: • Option 1 is out, Options 4 and 5 appear to get closer to sustainability. • I resist the idea that fire budget negatively impacts other departments. Engine 52 was taken out of service to save money during the pandemic, yet I observe new budget initiatives like the teen/senior center, financial enterprise system, and city staff. The Fire Department has remained relatively level in costs while other departments have grown. I will propose terminology changes to increase my comfort. • I agree, I was against the deficit manning and feel that decision was made without the knowledge of experts in the field. Decisions like that can cost more in the long run. Not building the new Station 54 resulted in a loss of trust. • Q: Are city funds defined and limited as they are in education? A: Some revenue sources are restricted by law, others by internal policy. • The Teen and Senior Center has not yet been funded. • City budgeting is a complex prioritization exercise, this committee should not get into the level of detail of discussing all city funds and expenditures. • Options 4 and 5 are possible but bother me due to having more costs. • Q: Do we know details of the Fire Benefit Charge? A: We would need to design the formula, but it is intended to allocate funding to all owners of physical properties, with the same exemptions generally as are in place for property tax. • Q: Do we anticipate FBC to cost as much as property tax? A: For owners of large/complicated buildings yes—or more; for single family residential, no, it is generally less than property tax. • The most important consideration I see is how this decision will serve the residents of a diverse community, including low income. I am leaning toward Options 4 and 5. • Options 4 and 5 sound great but expensive. I'd like to know more about the benefits of each option. • Q: Is the administrative overhead of an RFA one time or ongoing? A: There are onetime start up costs and ongoing administrative overhead. • Q: What is the status of the Fire Department's reserve account - how much is in it now and how much is added each year? A: In Tukwila, individual departments do not have reserve accounts. The City generally has a reserve policy, which is to maintain 18% of the prior year ongoing revenue plus a 10% contingency fund. • Q: Is money being put aside for fire vehicles/apparatus? A: The recent public safety bond issue included funding for fire apparatus. The citywide fleet funding model was recently changed due to the fund balance remaining much higher than needed. • I disagree that the public safety plan funding is the same as a dedicated reserve fund for fire. 2