Updated with final certified election results from the Pierce County Auditor's Office Nov. 26 and coverage of the KPFD board of fire commissioners special meeting Nov. 18.
Close, but no cigar.
Now that any spark of hope that Key Peninsula Fire District’s $800,000 annual Maintenance and Operations levy has burned out, fire protection services will soon be tighter than ever.
The levy had more yes votes (6,559) than no votes (4,424) but the 59.76% approval is just shy of the 60% supermajority needed to pass. That means a fraction of a percent was all that separated the KP from an extra cushion of safety.
Of the 11,668 ballots cast by the Key Peninsula, 675 voters chose not to pick a side on the initiative. Based on the final Pierce County Auditor’s election report, if 67 of those voters had approved, the levy would have cleared the supermajority threshold. A simple majority did approve it in all 17 voting precincts.
Voters initially turned down the levy during the August primary election with 57.79% approving it. That forced the district to put the initiative on the Nov. 5 ballot, though without the fire commissioners making any changes to it.
The general election drew 83.1% of the KP’s 14,042 registered voters, far more than the 47.35% who voted in the primary. The levy last passed in 2020 with a 65% supermajority.
There is no automatic recount of ballots for local measures in Pierce County, according to the auditor’s office. KP Fire Chief Nick Swinhart said he didn’t know if or when the district would make another attempt to get the levy passed. It’s not uncommon for fire districts in Washington to call for special elections just months after a levy failure.
“It is very disappointing, because (fire district personnel) worked so hard to get the word out on the importance of this levy,” Swinhart said.
The M&O makes up about 6.5% of the district’s annual budget.
Without it, the board of fire commissioners had no choice but to approve a scaled-back operating budget for 2025 at a special meeting Nov. 18. The $12.715 million contingency budget developed in the event the levy failed is $788,000 lower than the original proposed budget, and $1.1 million — or roughly 8.5% — less than what was allocated in 2024, even while expenses continue to rise.
While Swinhart’s adjusted budget narrowly avoided layoffs, it comes at a cost: firefighting/ paramedic crews will shrink from seven to five members per shift. With fewer crew members, response times to calls may be affected, especially during simultaneous emergencies.
This reduction keeps all three staffed fire stations — Wauna, Home and Longbranch — operational for now, but temporary closures could occur if staffing falls short.
Commission Chair Randy Takehara said the board doesn’t know which station will close if that has to happen, but the district may need to rely more on its volunteer staff.
Other areas to be reduced because of the failed levy: spending on big equipment like fire trucks, upgrading existing equipment, and non-essential maintenance. The biggest impact of the cuts will be on training and development, and overtime.
“2025 was supposed to be the year of training; am I happy about (cuts to that area)? No,” Takehara said. “It’s scary we have to bump that. Better trained personnel are less likely to get injured.”
Swinhart said reducing the shifts from seven to five members will save the district about $100,000 a year in overtime costs. The commissioners forfeited $10,000 of their collective annual stipend, and KPFD’s administrative staff will forgo a cost of living increase to help keep costs down. The firefighters/paramedics, though, will still see a union-approved 6.5% raise in 2025.
One expense in the 2025 budget that stands out is the $380,000 the district will use to pay down debt. That includes continued payments on big-ticket items like a new Timberwolf fire engine and three new ambulances, and new payments toward two Key Center parcels of land KPFD bought in 2021. These parcels, which many believe is what swayed voters not to approve the M&O levy, were paid for with a private bond at 1.82% interest.
Starting in December, the district will begin making annual payments of $148,675 in principal and interest for the loan until 2040.
An important capital investment that avoided the chopping block was $550,000 for replacing breathing equipment used in fires and hazardous conditions.
Despite the efforts to adjust the budget and minimize impacts, the failed levy’s repercussions continue to weigh heavily on the district. “The district and Local 3152 Firefighters did everything we could to answer questions and get information out to the public,” said Public Information Officer and Volunteer Battalion Chief Anne Nesbit. “I started in 2008 as a volunteer and hired on to the administration team in 2012. This is the first levy failure since I’ve been with the department.
“Personally, I am very disappointed and pledge that I will continue to do my best to change public opinion,” she said. “Staff are understandably disappointed, and everyone is stressed.”
UNDERWRITTEN BY THE FUND FOR NONPROFIT NEWS (NEWSMATCH) AT THE MIAMI FOUNDATION, THE ANGEL GUILD, ADVERTISERS, DONORS AND PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT LOCAL NEWS
