Mill Creek Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Two public meetings are scheduled for Mill Creek residents to ask questions about the proposal to annex to South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Regional Fire Authority (South County Fire). Proposition 1 is on the April 26 special election ballots for Mill Creek voters.

The first meeting is scheduled Wednesday, April 13 at 6 p.m. This is an in-person meeting at the City Council Chambers, 15728 Main St.

Bring your lunch and participate in the second meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, April 19, at noon. Participants can access the meeting through the City's website at http://www.cityofmillcreek.com/fire.

Mill Creek's current contract for fire and emergency medical service with a different provider expires at the end of the year. After considering all options, the City determined that South County Fire would be the lowest cost option for property owners based on 2022 figures.

South County Fire funds emergency services with a fire levy, an EMS levy and a fire benefit charge. A fire benefit charge replaces some property taxes in funding emergency services, and is not a tax.

It is a fee based on the size and use of a structure and the resources required to fight a fire. Single-family homes pay less than commercial developments because it costs less to defend a house in a fire compared to a large warehouse.

If annexation were in effect in 2022, the owner of a 2,000 square foot home with an assessed value of $602,000 (considered the average for Mill Creek) would pay South County Fire a total of $882.73 for the year.

This is based on the 2022 combined levy rates for South County Fire of $1.35/$1,000 assessed value, plus a $70.03 fire benefit charge.

More information about the annexation request is available on the City's website. Scott Harder, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, also welcomes your questions at (425) 582-6015 or [email protected]

Learn more about South County Fire at http://www.southsnofire.org.