Amity Fire District levy securing approval

AMITY — Bruce Hubbard was a smiling chief as the Amity Fire District, which had not sent a levy to voters since 1997, saw its levy effort approved Tuesday.

Voters in the Polk and Yamhill County portions of the district passed the levy, 712 to 589, or 54.7 percent to 45.3 percent in final unofficial balloting.

The levy will  generate about $123,400 a year for the next five years.

The tax rate has stood at 84 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for almost 20 years. Passage will add 45 cents, pushing the rate to $1.29 during its five-year duration.

That would cost the owner of a house assessed for tax purposes at $150,000, but actually worth significantly more, about $190 a year. That's up from about $130.

The money will be used for:

* A new set of protective turnouts meeting National Fire Protection Association standards.

* Automated external defibrillators, to be divided between the district’s main station and the Perrydale sub-station, which have a combined call volume that is 78 percent medical.

* A replacement brush rig and other wildland firefighting equipment, to augment an inventory that includes two brush rigs dating back more than 40 years.

* Enhanced recruitment, training and retention efforts to help field a force fully meeting training standards.

* A partnership with the McMinnville Fire Department providing 40 hours a week of Amity-based ambulance service by a team consisting of one paramedic and one EMT.

* Updated technology, as the district has dropped below state and federally mandated standards.

* Vehicle, equipment and facility maintenance.

See Friday's print edition for a recap.