Letter: Vote ‘yes’ on 6A
If Eagle River Fire Protection District had a signature song, it might be the one we all know and love from the TV show “Friends.” Because let’s face it, when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, Eagle River Fire Protection District will be there for you.
Whether it’s a car crash, a medical incident, a low-battery fire alarm you can’t reach, or a wildfire threatening your home, Eagle River Fire Protection District is there, ready to serve.
This election season, I’m asking you to be there for them, too.
Ballot Issue 6A is a sales tax of up to .79%, equivalent to 79 cents for every $100 spent in the district’s service area. This would exclude prescriptions and groceries, and guess what it would include? Contributions from everyone and anyone who spends money in the service area, which means visitors, guests, and non-property owners, who currently don’t fund the District at all.
Eagle River Fire Protection District is supported by property taxes, so if you don’t own property, you don’t pay for services. That doesn’t mean visitors and guests can’t utilize the services — they absolutely can and do. Which brings me back to that “Friends” jingle. It can leave the funding in “second gear” when not everyone chips in.
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This small sales tax would generate up to $6.8 million and allow Eagle River Fire Protection District to maintain and purchase equipment, safety gear, and wildland equipment, along with ensuring adequate staffing levels.
Don’t wait until you’re chest-deep in an emergency yelling “No one told me life was gonna be this way!”
The fire department needs your help to keep showing up in full force every hour of every day. Let’s all be Friends.
Join me in voting “yes” on Ballot Issue 6A to support Eagle River Fire Protection District.
Ruthie Hamrick
Edwards
