At the request of Fire Fighters Local 1660, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council endorsed Measure 34-286, which will be on the ballot that will go out to voters in the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue District for a May 21 election. Measure 34-286 renews a local option levy to maintain emergency response services and personnel hired since 2000. It maintains the existing levy rate of 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for five more years. The current levy expires in June 2020. For an average property assessed at $300,000, the cost of the local option levy would be about $135 per year or about $11.25 a month.
If the levy renewal fails, funding that pays for at least 92 of TVF&R’s 432 firefighters and paramedics would be lost.
If it passes, levy funds will maintain firefighter, paramedic, and support staff positions. Levy funding will also be used to purchase land for future fire stations, firefighting tools, and medical equipment to ensure effective emergency response.
