I want to address the issue in the comments about whether you agree or don't usually agree with the positions of Thurston County Republicans being relevant to taking a position on Prop 1.
Having been active on this issue since I first read about it on The JOLT, I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with advocates, opponents and most of all those who simply wanted to learn more about the proposed RFA.
What I found is people’s position on this issue cuts across all ideological, political, economic, and demographic divides. One of the reasons for this finding, I believe, is that fire and emergency medical services are universally valued and the need for these services transcend these social distinctions and differences.
The other reason I believe for this refreshing lack of ideological divides is that the facts of the proposal have aspects that are objectionable or of concern that checks the boxes on so many of the things our community cares about both universally and ideologically.
It turns out people universally care about getting the most value out of their tax dollars and have the common sense to see that the proposal falls short in in a myriad of ways.
Most everybody agrees that it makes no sense to pay more for the same level of service.
Some folks are against higher costs especially at a time of high inflation and economic uncertainty.
Some folks (like me) are against it because it is a regressive tax that promotes economic inequality.
Some folks (like me) are against it because they are concerned that this new organization that begins $10 million in debt and will have the “bumpy” start the City Manager of Tumwater predicted, don’t want to put their property and lives at risk to fix something that isn’t broken.
Some are concerned about creating another level government that won’t be responsible for weighing the priorities of the community and instead it elects a new set of 7 politicians beholden to only one interest group.
Some are concerned that the $10.5 million Fire Benefit Charge can be raised to $50 million without a vote of the people.
Some are concerned that this “regional” approach is not really regional. It leaves out the biggest fire authority in the county Lacey FD 3 and all the other fire jurisdictions in the county.
Some folks are against wasting money (over $2 million) for hiring HR, IT, Accounting and Finance staff, equipment, software and space to perform the operations that are currently being done by the cities.
Some are concerned that the same firefighters doing the same job for the same geographic areas will be paid over $10 million in higher salaries and benefits only because putting the Tumwater staff together with the Olympia staff makes it a bigger department and bigger departments negotiate higher salaries (“comparables”). Common sense says that 1 + 1 should not equal 3. This is the opposite of an economy of scale.
Some are concerned that the Fire Benefit Charge formula has been shaped to result in political preferences of who the cost will fall hardest upon or not at all.
Some simply can’t understand the FBC as it is overly complex and designed to silence critics with square roots and theories about fire flow and very weird counting of square footages.
Some question the formula’s fidelity to the state law. It is likely just one lawsuit away from bringing down the whole RFA financial structure and putting at risk everyone who relies on emergency services.
In short (you are probably saying to yourself, "in short"? Why did I have to read down this far to get to "short"?), whether you are fiscal conservative or a card-carrying liberal environmentalist (like me) or whether you are a renter or property owner or whether you live in Tumwater or Olympia or just a person with common sense there is something for everyone not to like with this proposal.
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