The Canby Fire District is seeking a renewal of its current operating levy in the upcoming Nov. 3 general election. The board of directors is asking for the public’s approval at the same rate currently in effect: 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
“Canby’s population continues to grow, and call volume and demands for emergency and administrative services are increasing,” said CFD Board President Shawn Carroll.
Click to access Booklet_CFD_Nov2020_Levy_V6-Board-Draft-1.pdf
Five years ago, the citizens of Canby and Barlow strongly supported the district’s request to increase the five-year local option levy from 34 cents to its current rate.
In response, the district has met and even exceeded what they promised they would do to improve local fire and emergency medical services, including staffing a second medic unit 24 hours a day.
The original goal had been to staff a second medic only for the 12 hours each day that the Canby Fire District volunteers were not available.
Canby Fire District firefighter/medics responded to 2,998 calls for service last year, according to Fire Chief Jim Davis.
Davis says funds from the local option levy will allow the district to maintain six firefighter/EMTs and all current staff positions.
“The fire district experiences two emergency calls simultaneously over 38% of the time,” Chief Davis said. “Without the current staffing for the second medic unit, the ambulance would have to be dispatched from Wilsonville, Oregon City or Oak Grove.”
For a typical property assessed at $250,000, the annual cost would be approximately $112 a year, or less than $10 a month. If the local option levy is not renewed, the existing operating levy would expire in 2021.
