Thursday, October 1, 2026
In a move aimed largely at addressing emergency call volume and infrastructure, Lacey Fire District 3 is going to ask voters to approve a $98.3 million bond measure in November.
Fire Chief Jennifer Schmidt announced the proposal in a video posted on Thursday, June 25.
It's the first in a series of videos the district says will explain the capital improvement bond's funding structure, proposed facilities, response coverage and costs ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election in Thurston County.
LFD3 handles the highest call volume in the county, exceeding 18,000 calls annually. Schmidt said the service area has grown 43 percent over the past decade.
"We're not looking at just building for tomorrow or two years from now," she said. "We're looking at the next 20 years."
The district operates under two separate funding mechanisms: a property tax levy and a bond.
The levy, which is capped by Washington state law at $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, funds daily operations, including staffing and equipment.
The cap makes it tough to fund capital investments needed to maintain service levels, which the bond is intended to cover.
"One source is a fire levy, which is all from property taxes," Schmidt said. "It would be very similar to your home checking or savings account."
She compared the bond to a mortgage, financing long-term assets, such as new fire stations and apparatus rather than daily operating costs.
"This allows for us to consider the big picture, looking at the growth and needs of our community," she said.
LFD3 also released a fact sheet on its website identifying four deficiencies driving the request: an undersized fire station, a coverage gap north of Interstate 5 (I-5), inadequate live fire training facilities and insufficient logistics storage.
Bond proceeds would fund a new station to close the I-5 gap, a relocation of Station 32 to the Yelm Highway corridor, a regional training facility and a permanent logistics warehouse.
The fire district said building reserves through the existing levy would not address those needs, and delaying construction would expose the district to rising costs from inflation.
If approved, the bond would raise the tax rate by an estimated $0.22 to $0.25 per $1,000 of assessed value, adding approximately $8 to $11 a month for a $500,000 home.
"We're asking for $98.3 million, and that is a lot of money, but please, again, understand that this is not just one quick fix," Schmidt said.
Schmidt said subsequent videos are going to detail individual projects and give residents a chance to submit questions before the election.
To learn more about the bond measure, residents can visit the LFD3 website, which also offers a bond estimate calculator to help property owners gauge the proposed tax impact, along with the rest of the district's informational video series.
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OlyBlues
Imagine the Lacey Fore District living within their means and planning for the future within their budget. Yeah, they are not interested in this but citizens have to live within their means. What is missing in the data they provide? A full budget accounting of all Fire Dept employees, Firefighter salaries, including admin. How much is the Dept paying in overtime? Overhead? What steps has the Fire District taken to reduce their budget like everyone else is expected to do, including other government agencies? With the lack of quality, neutral info bein presented, I would vote NO on this proposal.
Thursday, July 2 Report this
CommonScense
Why do fire departments send out fire truck along with aid vehicles to medical calls?
Seems like a waste of manpower, gas/diesel and equipment. In other words, when there is no
fire threat at a aid request, why are they sending the fire truck in addition to the aid vehicle??? Seems like it is a way to inflate the numbers of calls that a fire truck goes to.
Sunday, July 5 Report this
MartyKenney
Big NO
Now is not the time to be asking for $100M for training facilities and storage units. The extra fire station on the north side of I-5 makes some sense but asking for more than that is unrealistic. They obviously haven’t learned that Lacey/Olympia taxpayers are feeling strained, and fire department expansion is low on the priority list.
Wednesday, July 8 Report this