Lopez voters approve fire levy lift

The Lopez Island Fire Department is letting out a big sigh of relief this week, because its fire levy was approved overwhelmingly by the voters during the Nov. 2 election.

Lopez voters agreed to a levy lift increase from 67 cents to 75 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. It passed by 384 votes, according to figures released Friday by the San Juan County Elections Department which show that 892 people voted for the levy, compared to 508 who voted no.

“I was happy to see the support of the community,” said fire chief Rob Miesen. “It was nice to see overwhelming support (of the levy increase).”

The fire department submitted a levy lift on the 2003 ballot, but it was voted down by Lopez voters.

Instead of crunching numbers and deciding which line items in the budget will have to be slashed to keep the department out of the red, the department can now meet its goal to upgrade its vehicles and maintain service at current levels.

Miesen and fire commissioners Becky Smith, John Goekler and Steve Adams felt the levy failed last year because the public had not been thoroughly informed about the department’s needs. So, this time around, extensive time and effort were put into educating the community about the department’s need for more money. Miesen feels the extra attention spent on educating the people of Lopez about the levy made a difference in getting it passed.

Miesen and the commissioners are now working on the 2005 budget, which must be submitted to the county by Nov. 15. “We still have some budget work to do,” said Miesen.

The budget meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. in the fire hall.

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