GARDINER — Commissioners for Clallam County Fire District No. 3 made no decision Tuesday about the possibility of annexing a section of Jefferson County into their coverage area.
They apparently don’t plan to make a decision before an Aug. 1 deadline to set taxing districts for the coming year — which means that if the expansion is approved, the district won’t see revenue from Gardiner residents until 2011.
Although the commissioners of the Sequim-based Fire District 3 meet again July 21, Fire Chief Steve Vogel said no decision is scheduled for that meeting.
Vogel said the board will take its time determining the feasibility of providing fire coverage to Gardiner, an unincorporated community made up of Jefferson County precincts 101, 102 and section 4 of 103, which is currently covered by Jefferson County Fire District No. 5.
“It doesn’t look like a decision will come from the commissioners before Aug. 1,” Vogel said.
“They want to be very cautious about this and not make a decision in a rush.”
According to state law, Clallam Fire District No. 3 must adopt a resolution declaring Gardiner within its boundaries before Aug. 1 for changes to be made to the taxing district for the next year.
If commissioners wait until after the deadline, but approve the annexation before Aug. 1, 2010, taxes will not be collected until April 2011.
Vogel said department staff will review the petition and details of the addition in the coming weeks. Also, the district intends to refer the matter to an attorney for review.
Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge certified a petition from Gardiner residents who want to be part of Clallam County Fire District No. 3 instead of Jefferson County Fire District No. 5 in June.
The group collected signatures from more than 60 percent of the registered voters in the area, meaning that no election is necessary.
State law considers the proposed change to be a partial merger of one district into another, said Bob Rhoads, public information officer for Clallam Fire District 3. The proposal is only for the three precincts from which signatures were collected.
Gardiner residents, who championed the annexation by collecting more than 60 percent of community members’ signatures, attended the Tuesday morning meeting of the fire board and stated their wishes to be annexed to the commissioners.
“We met with them today and they are looking at our situation,” said Klaus Hintermayr, a Gardiner resident who led the drive to collect the petitions.
“It was a first-time meeting, so I didn’t expect a decision, but hopefully they will concur with us that we need to join with them.”
Residents can wait
Hintermayr said he was aware of the deadline but expected Clallam County Fire District No. 3 to take its time.
“Of course, I would like to have it done as soon as possible, but we can wait,” he said.
“We will do whatever we need to do to make this get done right, but I understand they have to make sure everything is right with their side, too.”
In June, Hintermayr organized two meetings for Gardiner residents to discuss the proposed annexation of their homes into the Clallam district.
Hintermayr said the reason for the annexation is that only a handful of able-bodied volunteers have been left in the Gardiner district.
Also, Hintermayr said if an emergency occurs while no one is on duty at the part-time station, Gardiner residents must wait for help from Quilcene or Port Ludlow, both of which are about 20 miles away.
Clallam County Fire District No. 3 has a station in Blyn, about 5 miles from Gardiner.
The Blyn station is staffed 24 hours a day by a certified firefighter and an EMT, said Vogel.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
