Black Diamond formally begins Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority annexation process

Published 11:10 am Friday, March 27, 2026

The city of Black Diamond has officially begun the annexation process with Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.

A resolution requesting the annexation was passed by the city council on March 3, starting the ball rolling on a two-year process that will culminate in an annexation vote come 2028.

If residents approve the annexation, Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority will handle the area’s emergency services, but at the price of increased property taxes; if the annexation is not approved, the city will be left without a designated emergency services provider.

Here’s how the city arrived at an annexation.

Mountain View Fire and Rescue has been Black Diamond’s contracted emergency services provider since 2006.

However, the fire department in 2019 said it would not renew its contract with the city, saying the cost of providing services were not being covered by the city’s payments.

The city and MVFR agreed to a contract with additional funds, but after five years, the department again alerted city officials that it would not renew its contract in 2028 for the same reasons — and this time, a revised contract would not do; only annexation.

After failing to find another department for the city to contract with, Black Diamond had two options left: form its own fire department, or find a department willing to annex the city into its district.

Mountain View and the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority were the only two departments to respond to the city’s inquiry into possible annexation partners.

After extensive lobbying from both departments, the city council voted 4 – 3 to work with the Regional Fire Authority and be annexed into its district.

MVFR continues to serve as the city’s fire department until the contract expires in 2028. Before then, a majority of residents will need to approve of the annexation in order for it to happen.

If voters approve of the annexation, they should be ready for a tax increase.

PROPERTY TAX & FIRE BENEFIT CHARGE

Being annexed into the Regional Fire Authority will affect taxpayers and increase property taxes.

First, there will be a new property tax set at $1 per $1,000 in assessed property value. For someone who owns a $600,000 home, that comes out to an additional $600 in property taxes a year.

But there’s also a fire benefit charge, which is not a tax voted on by residents but is set by the Regional Fire Authority.

The department described the fire benefit charge as a “shock absorber,” as it is not affected by rising or falling levy rates or assessed property value levels.

The fire benefit charge is calculated based on building size, risk, and resources necessary to respond to a fire at a particular location. This means that two similarly-sized homes, even if their APVs are vastly different, would have a similar fire benefit charge.

While it can be difficult to estimate how a fire benefit charge may affect specific homeowners, the Regional Fire Authority provided some examples during its pitch to the city council in August 2025.

Two examples were of a 2,790 square foot house with an APV of $754,000 and a 2,900 square foot house with an APV of $894,000. The fire benefit charge for these homes was $330 and $336 respectively.

After factoring in the property tax, the owner of the first home would be taxed what would be roughly equal to $1.44 per $1,000 in APV — about $1,084 a year.

The second would be taxes what would be about $1.38 per $1,000 in APV — about $1,230 a year.

Bigger buildings, like warehouses and commercial businesses, are expected to have a higher fire benefit charge.

An example the Regional Fire Authority gave was a 3.372 square foot business, which was taxed $596.

But a 7,560 square-foot building paid $1,250 for the charge.

The fire benefit charge is approved by the Regional Fire Authority’s board and not voters; if Black Diamond is annexed into the district, it would have representatives on the board.

There are some limitation to how high the fire benefit charge can be, namely that the charges cannot exceed 60% of the Regional Fire Authority’s budget.

There are discounts for buildings with certain modern alarms or sprinklers, among other items and qualifications.

NEXT STEPS

The recently-passed annexation resolution now puts the ball into the Regional Fire Authority’s governing board’s court.

The RFA’s board may then adopt its own resolution to establish the terms and conditions of annexation — those would return to the city council for review and possible approval.

If all parties agree to the annexation conditions, the matter goes to city voters.

Black Diamond’s resolution requests conditions like being represented on the RFA’s governing board; preserve fire and EMS service levels for city residents; and the transfer of EMS-related assets to the RFA (like any city-owned fire departments or equipment) once annexation is approved by voters.