Election Night saw two big wins at the ballot box for the Bainbridge Island Fire Department, but the department was quick to point out that it’s the community that will benefit from expanded services and new fire halls.
Bainbridge voters approved a proposal to replace or renovate aging and cramped fire stations on the island, as well as a companion measure to raise the Bainbridge Island Fire Department’s property tax levy.
Both measures won by landslide proportions.
Bainbridge Island Fire Chief Hank Teran called it a win all-around for islanders.
“This is a community win, not a fire department win,” Teran said. “Without the community support, we would not be able to provide these services.”
Teran said supporters in the community were active in getting the word out to neighbors, friends and fellow voters.
“I want to thank them for being engaged,” he said. “This is their fire department, and I am proud to be their fire chief.”
The 9-cent levy increase will pay for new firefighters and EMTs and will eventually boost emergency coverage out of the department’s north end station on Phelps Road.
Proposition 1, which would increase the department’s annual levy from 86 cents to 95 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, was ahead with 72.3 percent in favor of the measure during the initial vote tally on Election Night. The first vote count had 27.7 opposed to the tax increase.
A total of 8,052 ballots have been counted so far, and Prop. 1 needs a simple majority to pass.
Proposition 2, a $16 million bond measure that would pay for new and improved fire stations on Bainbridge, was passing with 63.4 percent of voters casting “yes” votes. A total of 36.6 percent of voters were against the measure, according to Tuesday night’s unofficial first count.
Prop. 2 needs a 60-percent supermajority to pass.
The landslide “yes” votes by voters were not unexpected.
There was no organized opposition to the ballot measures, and a poll of islanders last year by a Portland, Ore.-based consultant firm found strong support for the fire department and the bond measure.
A random telephone survey conducted in mid-June found that 73 percent of those polled favored the bond measure, with 43 percent of respondents strongly favoring the bond measure.
