Proposition 1

Renton Regional Fire Authority (Renton RFA) is a special purpose district that was established by Renton voters in 2016 and is purpose-built to provide fire protection and life safety services to the community. Like a traditional fire department, Renton RFA responds to emergency requests for fire suppression and emergency medical services. We also provide emergency response services through our special teams, which include technical rescue, water rescue, and hazardous materials rescue.

In addition to our emergency services, we provide proactive and preventive services through the Office of the Fire Marshal and special programs. Those services include fire code enforcement, fire inspections, permitting, plans review, public education, fire investigation, FD CARES (low-acuity health services), CPR training, and more.

Becoming a regional fire authority in 2016 allowed us to partner with the City to build and staff Fire Station 15 in the Kennydale area. It also allowed us to partner with local agencies to establish programs, like the FD CARES program, which connects vulnerable community members with an on-staff nurse and social worker team to help improve their quality of life while relieving their reliance on the 9-1-1 system.

Proposition 1 (Prop 1) is a ballot measure on the August 2023 Primary Election ballot that asks voters to decide on the restoration of the fire levy  from its current rate of $0.61 per $1,000 of assessed property value (AV) to its original, voter-approved rate of $1.00 per $1,000 of AV, and to allow it to adjust with the local rate of inflation for the next five years. 

The fire levy is a key part of our two-part funding system that works to maintain fire protection and life safety services here in Renton, as well as expand programs to meet growing community needs. If the fire levy is restored, Renton RFA will be able to deliver on our promise to replace our oldest fire station with a new, 50-year station. We will also be able to decrease the cost of the fire benefit charge (the other side of our two-part funding system) by up to 50% to reduce the overall impact of this measure on taxpayers while still maintaining the level of service our community is accustomed to.

The Property Tax Fire Levy (fire levy) is a part of your existing overall property tax that is earmarked specifically for fire protection and life safety services for the Renton community. It is one of Renton RFA’s two primary funding sources. The fire levy is based on the assessed value (AV) of a Renton property. It is calculated as a rate per $1,000 of AV.

Here in Renton, voters approved our original fire levy rate of $1.00 per $1,000 of AV back in 2016. However, due to Washington State law and increased property values, the fire levy rate has decreased each year since. Our current fire levy rate has decreased to $0.61 per $1,000 of (AV), and it will continue to decline if Proposition 1 is not passed.

While it may seen counter-intuitive, when property values go up the fire levy rate has to go down. This is because Washington State law mandates that agencies like Renton RFA cannot capture more than a 1% increase in property tax revenue growth year-over-year. So when property values rise at a rate higher than 1% year-over-year, as they have for many years in a row now, the fire levy rate must go down so that when taxes are calculated, not more than 1% of that growth is collected. See our Understanding the Fire Levy section for an example of how works. 

Recent increases in property values have caused our fire levy rate to decrease by an amount greater than projected. If we chose to wait to propose this ballot measure at a later time, our fire levy rate would fall even further and the amount of increase we would have to ask voters to decide on later would be even greater.

Like everyone, we are affected by inflation and the rising cost of goods and services. We understand the impact these challenges are having on our community members, because we’re having them too. So, it was important to us to strike a balance that would allow us to maintain the level of service our community expects and deserves, while lowering the overall impact on tax payers. By proposing this ballot measure in the August Primary Election, we will be able to reduce the Fire Benefit Charge  by up to 50% in 2024. This will play a role in alleviating the impact that Proposition 1 could otherwise have on property owners. You can see an example of how sample properties throughout Renton could be affected if this measure is passed by checking out our Financial Impacts section.

Additionally, by stabilizing this funding source, we will be able to secure better financing terms on the replacement of our oldest fire station, Station 16 in the Eastern Highlands, which will lower the cost of the project long term. The new, 50-year station will serve one of our fastest-growing communities.

Some of our current challenges include:

• Inflation, and the costs of goods and services, has outpaced the 1% cap on our property tax revenue growth for many years.
• Our oldest fire station needs to be replaced.  If approved, Prop 1 will put us in an optimal financial position to secure the funding necessary for this project without the need to go back to voters for a bond, cutting out the expense of election costs and lowering the costs of the project long term in the form of interest rate savings.
• The longer we wait to restore the levy, the heavier the lift will be on our taxpayers.
• As of January 1, 2023, state law precludes us from collecting Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) funds on housing for low-income seniors and developmentally disabled individuals that is owned by the Renton and King County Housing Authorities and nonprofit organizations. This is projected to remove up to $1,000,000 in revenue from our annual operating budget. Proposition 1 will help bridge this financial gap.
• The longer we wait to restore the fire levy, the more reliant our agency will become on the FBC for funding. The FBC has a cap on the amount of our total operating budget it can cover. When that cap is reached, we will have to make a greater ask of the taxpayers or reduce staffing/service levels to cut operating expenses. Restoring the fire levy rate now provides both financial balance in our funding system and long-term financial stability for the organization.

In 2021, Renton voters passed a ballot measure to renew our Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) – which is one of the two funding sources that make up our two-part funding system. That ballot measure did not contain a financial increase, but instead it renewed our ability to utilize the FBC as a funding source for another 10 years.

This ballot measure is different in that it pertains to the fire levy, the other half of our two-part funding system. We have not had a vote on our fire levy rate since it was first voter-approved in 2016, and this ballot measure asks voters to decide on restoring the fire levy rate to its original 2016 amount. If approved, we will not have to go back to voters regarding the fire levy for a minimum of six years, possibly more.

Restoring a fire levy rate can sometimes be called a “levy lid lift”. Because Washington State has a 1% limit on the amount of property tax revenue that can be collected by government agencies, like Renton RFA, that limit is known as a “lid”. When government agencies request that their voters decide on restoring their levy rate, this request is known as a “levy lid lift”, because the agency is proposing that the levy rate be raised above the current 1% lid mandated by the state – essentially lifting the lid on the levy. That is how the term “levy lid lift” came to be.

Yes! Those who qualify for property tax discounts (under RCW 84.36.381 through 84.36.389) will continue to qualify for those discounts under this measure.

• Sample Home Example: A 2,170 sq. ft. home with an AV of $562,000 or less, who receives these discounts, will see an average increase of $3/month.

Proposition 1 includes an annual inflation adjustment of 1% or the Consumer Price Index for Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area, whichever is higher, for the five years following the first year the levy is restored (2024).  This will allow Renton RFA to adjust the fire levy rate with the flow of local inflation for the next five years, allowing the organization to maintain the financial stability of the fire levy up even during a period of higher inflation.

We have provided some examples of the projected impact of this measure on sample residential and commercial properties in our Financial Impacts section. The residential sample homes noted in that section make up 77% of the homes within Renton. However, each individual property is a little different. We would be happy to work with you to determine the projected impact on your specific property. All you need to do is complete the request form on this page. Our fire levy experts will get back to you as soon as possible to help you understand the impact on your unique property.