OTHELLO – Adams County Fire District 5’s Board of Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, July 8th at 7 p.m. to discuss placing a temporary levy increase on the November ballot. The meeting will take place at 220 S. Broadway Ave. in Othello. Community members are invited to attend to provide input.
According to an ACFD 5 press release, call volumes have risen significantly over the past four years. Calls in the unincorporated areas they serve have increased by 25.4 percent. Calls in the Othello City Limits have increased by 43.5 percent. The increase in calls has led to an increase in costs for equipment, dispatch, and reporting software.
The commissioners will consider placing a measure on the ballot to increase the current ACFD 5 property tax levy by $0.27 per $1,000 in assessed value. The district estimates that an average property value in their district is $222,000. A homeowner with that assessed value would pay $60 more per year. Property tax exemptions are available for certain low-income senior citizens.
The City of Othello currently pays a slightly higher rate to the city for fire services than owners in the unincorporated areas of the district. Property owners in the city pay taxes to Othello, which then pays ACFD 5 a contract rate of $0.65 per $1,000 in assessed value – currently equal to $793,000 per year.
Othello is currently in the process of planning to transition fire services away from ACFD 5 to a city operated fire department. That process is supposed to be completed by the end of the city’s current contract, which expires in May 2026. City leaders believe they will be able to provide fire services at a lower cost. ACFD 5, however, recommends that the city ask voters to allow Othello to be annexed into the fire district, according to a post on their website.
ACFD 5 says “Othello’s contract makes up more than half of ACFD#5’s budget, and this revenue loss presents a significant funding gap. To prepare, the district will make difficult cuts—deferring vehicle replacement of emergency apparatus, canceling station renovations, and eliminating city-specific safety programs. However, the district must still meet state requirements and rising operational costs.”
Chief Tom Salsbury says the district wants to be fully transparent. “Even though our service area will shrink, fixed costs like vehicles, safety gear, insurance, dispatch and fuel are going up. Fewer people will be sharing these costs,” he said. ACFD says they are already deferring expenses where possible.
