EVERSON, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A local fire district is asking voters in north Whatcom County for help funding critical emergency services this summer.

Whatcom Fire District 1 said its board of commissioners has approved a levy lid lift for the August primary election ballot.

Fire Commissioner Randy VanderHeiden said the decision was spurred by rising call volumes and increased operational costs.

If approved, the lid lift would raise property tax rates to $1.48 per thousand dollars of assessed value starting next year, a 36-cent increase. It would also raise the rate by up to 6% annually for the following nine years.

Voters approved the district’s last levy lid lift in 2021 and since then, the levy rate has gradually fallen. Fire District 1 said residents could face slower response times if the lid lift doesn’t pass.

The district sought to pass a $13 million bond measure in 2024 to construct a new station, but it failed at 50%, shy of the required 60% to pass a bond measure according to state law.

The district serves Everson, Nooksack, Deming and the Nooksack Indian Tribe.