Voters have once again turned down a proposed sales tax to help fund the Warrenton Fire Protection District.
A huge number of voters turned out for the November general election, including 8,398 …
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Voters have once again turned down a proposed sales tax to help fund the Warrenton Fire Protection District.
A huge number of voters turned out for the November general election, including 8,398 residents of the Warrenton fire district. Of those, 3,520 (43%) voted in favor of the half-cent sales tax proposal, while 4,644 (57%) voted against.
The rejection by voters leaves the Warrenton fire district facing difficult decisions about its budget. After years of expanding paid firefighter staffing to provide 24/7 coverage, the district has depleted its reserves and cut its spending down to just essentials, officials said.
“We’re definitely going to have to sit down over the next few weeks ... and look at what deeper cuts need to be made,” said Warrenton Fire Chief Anthony Hayeslip. “We’re treading water right now, but we’re coming to a point very soon where that’s not going to be good enough.
District leaders have previously suggested that selling the fire station in Pendleton is a likely outcome of the financial crisis
Hayeslip said firefighter layoffs would be considered only as a last resort. “The fire department doesn’t run without personnel,” he remarked.
