Oak Harbor residents may get the chance to vote on whether to raise taxes to fund a series of public safety improvements, including a second fire station that was first identified as a need in 2006.

During a city council workshop Wednesday, Fire Chief Ray Merrill and Police Capt. Mike Bailey presented their funding requests, which were pared down from a presentation last year.

Merrill explained that the new fire station in the southwest section of the city would decrease response times in the growing area and potentially save lives. Together with additional staff and two new trucks, the investments could also prevent the city’s fire rating from increasing and costing homeowners more in insurance premiums.

“We have not asked the community for bonds and levies for 30 years,” Merrill said. “The last time we did it was back in 1989. We have tried to be self sufficient as much as possible and prudent with money.”

For the police, Bailey proposed remodeling the police station and former jail, hiring an additional officer and purchasing a drone, a rescue vehicle, a Polaris and a robot.

City Administrator Blaine Oborn said the staff recommends an option that combines both a levy lid lift and an excess levy.

Finance Director David Goldman explained that the proposed levy lid lift, which requires a simple majority to pass, would raise from $1.3 million to $1.9 million annually, depending on how many new firefighters are funded and if the police station facility improvement is funded. That would add from $159 to $237 per year to the average property tax bill. The proposal is to fund additional staff and equipment for both departments, a replacement fire engine and a police department remodeling project.

An excess levy would require a supermajority vote of 60%. The proposal is for a 20-year bond to fund a $6 million fire station and a 12-year loan for a $1.2 million “quint” ladder truck. The proposed excess levy would raise about $566,000 annually and would add about $71 per year on the average tax bill for a limited period of time.

If both passed, the owner of an average-priced home would pay approximately $300 more in property taxes a year.

The other options are for a levy lift only or a sales tax increase, which is allowed under state law for public safety programs. Both of these options would delay the construction of the fire station because the city would have to wait for funds to accumulate.

Merrill has been giving presentations to the council for years about the need for a second fire station. With support from new council members and the city administration, however, this might be the year voters will get to decide.

“We definitely have kicked that can down the road, there’s no question about that,” Mayor Bob Severns said.

Councilmember Shane Hoffmire questioned why building a fire station had been delayed, especially since voters were asked to pass a levy “to fix potholes” in the intervening years. He said it’s important to emphasize to the public that the city isn’t raising taxes unilaterally, but just offering voters the option.

“Firemen are pretty universally loved,” he predicted. “It will pass.”

Councilmember Brian Stucky pointed out that the increased property tax would be in opposition to the community’s need for affordable housing and asked whether the measure would be supported by the community, especially since the school district is already asking voters for a property tax increase. He questioned whether some of the police department’s requests were “wants” more than “needs.”

Oborn said the measure would have a good chance of passing in the November election, especially if the city has time to fully educate the community.

During his presentation, Merrill discussed how fire service funding hasn’t kept up with city growth.

A consultant created a strategic plan in 2006 that recommended an additional fire station in the southwest area of the city. Since that time, the city has annexed 216 acres into the city, largely in that area. To pay for the fire station, the city even collected fire impact fees but had to return the money when the project didn’t go anywhere.

Currently, 24% of calls are outside of the four-minute response time that’s the accepted standard for fire departments, Merrill said, adding that the situation is only going to get worse.

“We know there’s 500 new homes coming in here in the very near future that we’re going to have to protect,” he said.

Washington Survey and Rating Bureau, an independent agency, evaluates cities’ fire risk based on several factors, including fire protection. Merrill said the city was evaluated in 2013 and remained at a “class 4.” While that’s a very good rating, he said, the city would likely have been downgraded to 5 or 6 if reevaluated in 2021, based on response times, the distance between a fire department and homes, and the lack of staff.

A higher fire rating could potentially edge up residents’ fire insurance premiums by as much as 25%, Merrill said.

Compared to like-sized cities in the state, the Oak Harbor Fire Department operates with a significantly smaller budget and many fewer firefighters, he said. Comparable cities have an average of 28 career firefighters while Oak Harbor has 11.

For the police department, Bailey proposed remodeling the former jail so that the space is usable for staff. Also, he explained that the police department is essentially two buildings abutting each other; he proposed remodeling to connect the areas.

Bailey proposed replacing the department’s 57,000-pound “mine resistant ambush protected” vehicle, or MRAP, which the city received from the military. A smaller, more maneuverable rescue vehicle would be more useful in a situation where someone needed to be rescued in a “hot zone,” plus it will cost less to maintain, Bailey indicated.

A drone could be used for a “multitude of things,” Bailey said, including locating suspects or missing children. A Polaris electric vehicle would be useful to have in parks or places like the Freund Marsh, the captain explained

In addition, a robot could allow officers to safely access dangerous places, like a room with a barricaded suspect, or check out suspicious packages.

In the end, the council members didn’t give the staff any specific direction, but Severns indicated they will look into the details further.