Black Diamond residents may soon find out what sort of emergency services they’ll have in the near future.

Elected officials heard the proposals of Mountain View Fire and Rescue and the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority during the July 10 meeting, and an update is expected during the Aug. 7 meeting.

First, some history.

Black Diamond and MVFR have had contract issues for years, with the fire department claiming it was consistently underpaid for the services it was providing city residents.

In 2019, MVFR moved to not renew its contract with Black Diamond, but signed another in 2021 when the city agreed to pay the department an additional $500,000, bringing the total contract amount to just over $1 million.

But last year, MVFR again informed the city it was not renewing its contract in 2028, citing insufficient payment — but this time, a new contract wouldn’t cut it; it was annexation or bust.

Faced with the possibility of having no emergency services for its residents, Black Diamond put out a call to see if any other fire departments would be interested in contracting with the city.

When no answer came, the city now has to consider alternatives. Namely, annexation.

But being annexed into a fire district is no mean feat, as it requires voter approval and results in higher property taxes for said residents.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENTS

Mount Rainier Fire and Rescue and the Regional Fire Authority are two different beasts, and there may be benefits to annexing with one over the other beyond how it will affect taxpayer wallets.

First, MVFR has a history of contracting with Black Diamond since 2006; prior to that, the city ran its own fire department.

The department’s district — with the exception of Black Diamond — covers 70 acres of unincorporated areas around Kent, Auburn, Maple Valley and south of the Green River onto Muckleshoot property. There are roughly 32,000 residents living in this area.

Currently, the department has 37 full-time career firefighters.

At this time, MVFR staffs two career firefighters at the Black Diamond Station 98. This means either the aid car or the fire engine can be operated at one time, and if a concurrent emergency is called in, either Station 92 outside Auburn, the Muckleshoot Reservation Station 96, or another outside agency would have to mobilize, resulting in a delayed response time.

MVFR’s strategic goals include increasing staffing at Station 98 to three full-time first responders, as well as having a battalion chief on duty and employing both a full-time fire marshal and public educator.

Comparatively, the Regional Fire Authority’s district serves more than a quarter million people over 120 square miles. This includes Covington, Kent, Maple Valley, SeaTac, and Tukwila, as well as some unincorporated King County areas.

It employs 500 people, which includes large IT and data analysis departments that MVFR does not have.

Additionally, the Regional Fire Authority is internationally accredited, meaning it adheres to stringent quality control standards like emergency response time.

Another difference is the Regional Fire Authority has a contract with Tri-Med Ambulance to transport patients, while MVFR cross-staffs, meaning firefighters use both ambulances and fire engines.

COST OF ANNEXATION

Annexing into either MVFR or the Regional Fire Authority means Black Diamond residents will receive emergency services — but property taxes will increase, and not by a small amount.

MVFR district residents are currently taxed at a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value, the result of a levy lid lift voters approved in 2022.

If Black Diamond residents are annexed into the district, that $1.50 tax rate would be added to their annual bills.

For a homeowner with a $600,000 home, that equates to an extra $900.

Between 2022 and 2028, the $1.50 tax rate is fixed; after 2028, MVFR will only be able to collect 1% more in property tax revenue from the year previous, eventually reducing the tax rate as home values increase and Black Diamond’s population rises.

That is, unless voters don’t approve another levy lid lift, though none has been proposed at this time.

If Black Diamond is annexed into MVFR in 2028, the new property tax base could bring in close to $4.9 million in revenue for the department.

Annexing into the Regional Fire Authority looks a little different.

One difference is the property tax rate — a maximum of $1, instead of $1.50.

For the same homeowner with the $600,000 home, that’s an annual tax bill of $600.

The lower number may be appealing at first glance, but then there’s the added fire benefit charge.

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 they’re APVs are vastly different, would have a similar fire benefit charge.

It also means that larger buildings — warehouses or industrial facilities with hazardous materials — will be charged more.

While it can be difficult to estimate how a fire benefit charge may affect specific homeowners, the Regional Fire Authority provided some examples from this year.

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 paying what would be roughly equal to $1.44 per $1,000 in APV — about $1,084 a year.

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

While this is less than what these homeowners would pay if MVFR annexed the city, multi-family and commercial buildings can end up paying twice or even three times more.