What do Shoreline homeowners pay for Fire and Emergency Services and how will a Regional Fire Authority change what you pay?

Thursday, January 30, 2025


By Shoreline Fire Chief Matt Cowan

Lately I have been getting a lot of phone calls and emails from property owners asking what they pay now for fire and emergency services and what they would pay under a Regional Fire Authority (RFA).

Understanding how much you pay for fire and emergency services can be confusing. I am writing to provide clarity so that you will know how much you currently pay for your local fire and emergency services, and how the amount you pay will change with a RFA.

Prior to 2015 the Shoreline Fire Department predominantly relied on the fire levy property tax to fund operations. In 2015, we were able to diversify our revenue sources and balance that between a fire levy property tax and the fire benefit charge (FBC).

The confusion about how much property owners pay for their fire and emergency services arises from the property tax receipts that you receive from King County. The property tax statements do not clearly separate out these different sources. 

King County combines the fire levy property tax into the general "tax" line (as shown on the tax bill) or "County" (if looking at the pie chart online) with other tax sources. 

The FBC is identified as the "Fire District" or "Fire", on the property tax bill, or online respectively. This makes it complicated to figure out how you are being taxed, and in the case of the current RFA ballot measure, what is the cost difference.

If voters approve the RFA on February 11, 2025, and we do an apples-to-apples comparison, the overall average equivalent levy rate (which is a combination of the fire property tax levy and the FBC) for fire and emergency services will decrease by 7.6% (based on current estimates).

However, we can also calculate the specific impact for single-family homeowners. 

In 2025, the fire levy rate for the Shoreline Fire Department is $.6835 per $1,000 of AV. 

So, to calculate the cost of local fire and emergency medical services, first, use your property value in 2025, divide by 1,000, and multiply by $.6835 to calculate the fire levy property tax.

You can find your property value on your tax statement or by going online.
  • Once there choose “address” or “parcel number” in the drop down menu, 
  • then put in your address or parcel number and hit enter, 
  • then click on “Property Report”, 
  • scroll down to the “Tax Roll History” and use the top line value. 
You can also find your property from the map tool and zoom in until you find your home. Secondly, look on your property tax bill and you will see the amount titled “Fire District”, which is the FBC. 

The FBC and the fire levy tax added together is the total you pay annually to the Shoreline Fire Department.

For example in 2025, a property in the Shoreline Fire Department with an AV of $905,000 might pay $618.57 on the fire levy tax at the rate of $.6835 per $1,000 of AV, and $302.66 on the FBC, for a total of $921.23 annually for fire and emergency services. 

This same house, in an apples-to-apples comparison in the RFA for 2025, would pay $633.50 on the fire levy tax (because the levy rate for the RFA in 2026 will be $.70), but $256.24 on the FBC (based on current estimates) for a total of $889.74 for the same services. 

In this example, it would be a reduction of $31.49, or a 3.4% decrease.

This is an analysis based on 2025 budget numbers. The RFA, if approved, would not begin collecting taxes until 2026 and we will not know what assessed values or costs we will be using for that budget until October 2025. 

However, what we know right now is that current budget estimates show that homeowners would experience a reduction in what they pay in 2026 if the RFA is approved.

Thank you, Shoreline Fire Department Fire Chief Matt Cowan


6 comments:

Anonymous,  January 30, 2025 at 2:07 AM  

Very helpful explanation, thanks! Will the FBC rate be the same for every property in the proposed RFA area? My understanding is that the FBC rates in the various cities are currently different.

Shoreline Fire Chief Matt Cowan,  January 30, 2025 at 2:46 PM  

Thank you for your comment. The current Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) is based on a property's size, use, and risk. And while they are similar, there are some differences between the current Shoreline and Northshore Fire Departments. Under the RFA, the Fire Benefit Charge will continue to be based on a property's size, use, and risk, but will be consistent across all three Cities protected under the RFA. Current budget estimates show that all homeowners would experience a reduction in what they pay if the RFA is approved.

Anonymous,  January 31, 2025 at 2:20 PM  

Thank you Mr. Cowan for clarifying this. It’s a shame that a similar apples-to-apples comparison was not included in the voters’ pamphlet.
I do have a question, though about year #2 under the proposed RFA. In the example you give, a property valued at $905,000 would be taxed $921.23 (618.57 fire levy + 302.66 FBC) under our current system, compared with $889.74 (633.50 fire levy + 256.24 FBC) under the RFA plan in 2025. As you point out, this is a reduction of $31.49 or 3.4%.
However, if the tax rate is later raised from $0.70 per thousand to $1.00 per thousand as permitted by the RFA measure, the tax on the same property in 2026 would be $1,161.24 ($905.00 for the fire levy and $256.24 for FBC), which is a 26% INCREASE from our current system. Is this correct, or am I missing something here?

Anonymous,  February 3, 2025 at 1:45 PM  

The current system allows them to charge up to $1.50 per $1,000 so this would replace that

Anonymous,  February 3, 2025 at 1:50 PM  

With a deduction of 3.4% going towards fire services in 2025, will that cause a reduction in staff and equipment? I would hate to see people laid off as a result of this proposition.

Shoreline Fire Chief,  February 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM  

Thank you for your questions.

Although we have the authority to raise the tax to $1.00 we have no plans to do so. And more importantly such an action would require a vote of the people because we are limited to raising revenues from the tax levy by 1% annually.

The RFA budget for 2026 sets the fire levy property tax rate at .70 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. This means that if assessed values did not increase and remained flat the levy rate would increase to $.707.

Our current system allows us to charge a fire levy up to $1.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Our plan is to charge $.70. This is not a new tax. 100% of all homeowners and 98% of all property owners will pay less for fire and emergency services that they currently pay under the Regional Fire Authority.

Finally, there are no plans for any layoffs related to forming a Regional Fire Authority. Our goal is to save taxpayers money while maintaining and improving our service levels.

Shoreline Fire Chief Matt Cowan

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