KCFR override levy fails

POST FALLS — With their Kootenai County Fire and Rescue signs held high, Justin Capaul and Mathew Lee made their presence known to drivers by waving on Spokane Street outside the Post Falls Library throughout the afternoon on Election Day. 

“It’s been a lot of honks,” Capaul said. “We’ve had a lot of support and we’ve been able to tell our story to a lot of people who didn’t know how we’re funded.” 

Despite their efforts, KCFR's permanent levy override failed at the polls Tuesday, receiving 5,971 yes votes, 62%, to 3,697 no votes, 38%. It required two-thirds voter approval to pass.    

The $6 million permanent override levy was a tool which Interim Chief Pete Holley said would have helped the department keep up with population growth and provide stable emergency services.    

Previously, KCFR asked for a bond to replace a few stations and build a new station in 2021. 

Holley said the department has been out in the community conveying transparency about costs and how they intend to continue to serve residents in their district. 

“With a fail we still feel the support, but what it tells us is we have to do more to be better stewards of the dollar, using the community feedback going forward,” Holley said. 

Holley's plan for the future is to get stakeholders together to figure out the next steps for KCFR to try to meet the rising costs to maintain emergency services. 

The permanent measure would have cost taxpayers about $43.58 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value per year, which means a home with a taxable value of $400,000 would have seen a yearly tax increase of about $175.  

“We’ve done everything we can to avoid coming to this point,” Holley said. “We don’t like to be asking for a levy, but we feel good about the things that we’ve done to get this point. We’re still proud to service this community and be the firefighters for our fire district.”