FERNDALE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A proposed levy increase that would relocate the Sandy Point fire station out of a flood zone has failed by a single vote.

The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office certified the results on Friday, May 3, following the April 23 special election. 257 voted in favor of the measure while 258 opposed it.

37.5% of the roughly 1,400 registered voters within the district took part in the election.

Campaign chair Jeanne Carroll told MBN that they plan to put the exact same measure back on the ballot for the Aug. 6 election.

Whatcom Fire District 17 was hit by two coastal floods in 2022 that destroyed its Sandy Point fire station and part of its equipment, resulting in about $750,000 in damages.

It hopes to rebuild the station outside the flood zone in a space that Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery offered them for free at an elevated property on Slater Road. Carroll adds that the district also needs more funding to hire firefighters or EMTs for its staff that consists of two paid positions and 12 volunteers. She says calls are up over 100% since the district’s last levy in 2015.

Carroll says she believes the group did not get sufficient information out to voters ahead of this special election and says more volunteers will be conducting outreach ahead of its next appearance on the ballot. An informational meeting is scheduled to be held at the Sandy Point Club House on Saturday, June 29, at 10:00 a.m.

“We’re in danger of losing our local fire station,” said Carroll.

The proposed measure would raise the fire district’s property tax levy to $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed value, an increase of about 56 cents.

Fire District 17 serves Sandy Point Shores, Sandy Point Heights, Neptune Heights, Neptune Beach and western portions of the Lummi Indian Reservation.