By Neal Lemery
The May election gives Tillamook and Bay City voters a great opportunity to take care of our caretakers. We are well served by our local fire departments, who are primarily staffed with volunteers who persistently respond to a wide range of emergencies. They protect our lives, our property, and our community and are on call 24 hours a day, often dealing with urgent, often horrific situations.
I’m joining the firefighters in urging a “yes” vote on the levy and formation of a new combined district.
Now, they need our help, as the current property tax funding to equip our fire stations and support our fire crews isn’t funding the rising costs of operating top notch fire departments. Our state tax system essentially freezes tax revenue and doesn’t allow local service districts to keep up with expenses. A new fire truck costs three times more than ten years ago.
Special districts, such as the Tillamook Rural Fire District and the City of Bay City instead are forced to depend on five year serial levies, a process that short-changes long range planning and budgeting. We all risk our fire department losing service ratings, which will lead to increased fire insurance premiums for everyone.
Here’s what the Tillamook fire district says about the May ballot measure:
“Proposed Creation of a new Fire District.
“In November 2025, both the elected City Council of Bay City and the Board of Tillamook Fire District each voted to unanimously recommend to the Tillamook County Board of Commissioners that the formation of the Tillamook Bay Fire and Rescue Rural Fire Protection District be placed on the May 2026 ballot. If passed, this measure would unify the existing Bay City Fire Department and Tillamook Fire District into one Fire District.
“The combined district would serve approximately 18,385 permanent residents. The new fire district would be overseen by five Board of Directors elected by the voters. The Board of Directors would then be responsible for the selection of a new Fire Chief for the newly formed district.
“Currently Bay City Fire Department has two full-time employees. Tillamook Fire District has one full-time employee and several part-time employees. This arrangement is not sustainable for the multitude of calls for service, especially during the tourism season. Both agencies rely heavily on volunteers to respond to emergencies. Both agencies need added full-time staffing to provide training, documentation, emergency response, maintenance issues and administrative support to name a few.
“If passed in the May 2026 ballot, a unified tax base of $1.49 per $1000 assessed value would be imposed and generate approximately $2.45 million annually for district operations and eventual replacement or refurbishing of aging fire apparatus.” https://www.tillamookfiredistrict.com/proposed-creation-of-a-new-fire-district
Our firefighters are our friends and neighbors. They are only a 911 call away from promptly responding to disasters and crises. As first responders, they are highly skilled and they effectively deal with our urgent and critical situations, saving lives and protecting our homes and businesses. Now, it is time to give our thanks and offer our support for their community service and heroic good work, and ensure their ability to effectively protect our community.