Proposition 1.

City of Bellingham Proposition No. 1
Submitted by the City of Bellingham
Levy for New Bellingham Medic One Program

The City Council of the City of Bellingham, Washington adopted Ordinance No. 2004-08-061 concerning regular property taxes for emergency medical services in the City. If approved, this proposition would authorize regular property taxes of $0.35/$1,000 of assessed value in 2005 (for an estimated total 2005 regular levy rate of $3.27/$1,000) and set the “limit factor” for 2006-2010 maximum levies at the Consumer Price Index for medical care. The 2010 levy would be used to compute future levy limits under ch. 84.55 RCW. Additional revenues in excess of the RCW 84.55.010 limits would be dedicated solely for the new Bellingham Medic One program. Should this proposition be approved?

Is saving your life worth $52.50 per year?

When you have a heart attack, it usually isn’t a surgeon or cardiologist who saves your life. Their work comes later.

The people most likely to save your life show up when you call 9-1-1.

Trained, caring medical experts speed to you, no matter where you have a medical emergency: driving on Alabama Street, enjoying dinner with your family, watching the sunset from Boulevard Park or shopping downtown.

They provide immediate, specialized medical treatment, then they take you to the hospital. Often, they save your life. Or your neighbor’s. Or your child’s. Dedicated, stable funding is essential to the city to provide this service.

Is it worth $52.50 per year to know that a trained paramedic will respond when you need one? That’s what the proposed Bellingham Medic One levy will cost the owner of a home assessed at $150,000.

For the last 30 years, Whatcom County residents with medical emergencies knew a 9-1-1 call would bring a Whatcom Medic One ambulance to their aid.

Last November the countywide EMS levy failed (although a majority of Bellingham voters said ‘yes.’) The naysayers said nothing would change, but they were wrong. Whatcom Medic One is ending its services; its last day of operation will be Dec. 31, 2006.

Because of this, we are creating “Bellingham Medic One” to provide Bellingham residents with reliable, high quality paramedic ambulance services. The first day of operation will be Jan. 1, 2005. Bellingham Medic One will provide service to Bellingham citizens as Whatcom Medic One winds down and ceases operation.

Bellingham voters are being asked to approve a 35-cent per thousand tax levy to fund the new Bellingham Medic One. It is a ‘restricted use’ tax. The money can only be used to fund Bellingham Medic One. A typical homeowner in Bellingham will pay about $52.50 per year, which is about 3 percent of their total property tax. (For comparison, the voter-approved Greenways levy, which funds open space and trails, is 57-cent per thousand or about $85.50 per year).

Most Medic One programs in Washington are funded by a dedicated property tax levy. Bellingham residents need the security that stable, dedicated funding will provide. It is a little bit like an insurance policy, but the ‘premiums’ are very low. What you get for the money is fast, life-saving paramedic services at your doorstep, when you need it the most.

Your ‘yes’ vote on Proposition 1, the levy for the new Bellingham Medic One program, will help ensure that when you call 9-1-1, expert paramedics will be there during your worst day, delivering their best care.

Pretty good for $52.50 a year.

Washington state taxpayers voted to limit property tax increases to one percent. Citizens didn’t want to tie the hands of elected officials in case of an emergency, so the law states that in the event of an emergency and with a majority vote of the taxpayers, City Council can raise property taxes more than 1 percent.

Bellingham City Council has declared an emergency and is asking you to increase the city portion of your property taxes 12 percent the first year and between 4.5 percent and 6 percent or more for the next five years. Because the money will be used to provide ambulance service, which is an on-going operation, they will be back for more at the end of six years. There is no emergency.

Bellingham City Council voted to put this on the November 2 ballot leaving those of us who don’t support giving the city more money just 30 days before absentee ballots are mailed to organize, raise money and get our message out to the voters. They left little time for public discussion and for the public to understand the contents of a consultant report that tells us the fire department can provide even better service for much less money. This is not an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) levy; an EMS levy requires 60 percent voter approval. This increase requires a simple majority.

Bellingham City Council wants more money to spend and if you agree to increase the city portion of your taxes by 12 percent next year, the money the council had been spending for ambulance services will then be spent on other things. The City Council spent as much this year on the museum as they did on ambulance services. They voted to double the size of the museum but are trying to convince you there isn’t enough money in a $50 million general fund budget to fund $1.6 million for EMS.

At a time when the city is telling us there will be no lifeguard at the lake because there is a “budget crisis,” a consultant, hired by the Bellingham fire department has identified ways to improve services to the public while reducing expenditures by millions, yes millions, of dollars.

The Matrix Consulting Group, a nationally known consulting firm to EMS systems reports that the Bellingham fire department could close one fire station; combine two dispatch centers into one; triage calls in order to avoid overkill responses and incorporate private ambulance services into the EMS system to transport patients to the hospital, thus freeing medics for the next call. Seattle and King County use private ambulance services for transport purposes. Implementing these changes would reduce the cost of emergency medical services by more than $5 million.

The Bellingham fire department, however, doesn’t agree with their consultant and insists on doing things their way, regardless of cost. Read the report at http://www.cob.org/fire/index.htm. The Matrix Consulting Group report is 180 pages and the supplemental report is 15 pages. Read at least the supplemental report.

Bellingham property owners, don’t be fooled. The Matrix Consulting Group advises EMS systems all over the United States. If you give the city another $1.6 million, two things will happen: (1) The fire department will continue to run an overstaffed, inefficient, Cadillac operation and (2) Bellingham’s mayor and his city council will free up money they have been spending on emergency medical services to spend on anything they want. Vote no on the 12 percent property tax increase on November 2. Help us fight this 12 percent property tax increase by sending your contribution now to: COPS, P.O. Box 2980, Bellingham, WA, 98227.

timlynncarpenter@comcast.net or (360) 734-8138