
Benton Fire 1 Mulls August Levy in Face of Surging Call Numbers
Due to what's called levy compression, Benton County Fire District 1 is considering an August levy to help with rising call numbers.
Benton County 1 is one of the largest in Eastern WA
BCFD 1 serves roughly 17,500 residents in Rancho Reata, Finley, Badger Canyon, and South Kennewick, but their total coverage area is 320 square miles. They respond to calls between south Kennewick all the way to the Oregon border just east of Umatilla, and to the east, all the way to the Snake River. Their eastern border begins across the Snake River from Burbank all the way to Oregon.

Calls have risen by 35 percent over the last five years, according to information released by Fire Chief Scott LoParco, and annually, fire and EMT respond to about 2,000 calls.
According to LoParco, levy compression has lessened the assistance they receive from the current levy, which is $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Inflation has also raised costs across the board. According to the District:
"Daily operations are funded through a fire levy capped at $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, paid through property taxes. In 2018, voters approved a fire levy of $1.50. Since then, the rate has dropped to $1.23 due to “levy compression.” This occurs because state law limits the district to a fixed annual revenue amount plus 1%, regardless of rising property values."
The District is considering a levy lid lift in August that would restore the 'original' terms and funding passed by voters. The District is encouraging citizens to comment and provide their input on the issue.
The District provided contact information for citizens:
"Learn more at www.bentonone.org, or contact Fire Chief Scott LoParco at 509-737-0911 or scott@bentonone.org."
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Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa