Fire district levy lid passes

Mason County Fire District 17 residents Tuesday overwhelmingly voted for a levy lid lift and will now vote for a proposed merger into Hoodsport Fire and EMS District 18 on the Aug. 5 ballot.

Residents were asked to increase their tax rate from $0.724 to $0.890 per $1,000 of assessed property value so their tax rate matches Hoodsport Fire's tax rate. In the first ballot count released at 8 p.m. Tuesday by the Mason County Auditor's Office, 162 people had voted "yes" for 79.02%, and 43 had voted "no" for 20.96%.

Of the 514 voters registered in the Hama Hama Fire District, 205 had cast ballots for an initial turnout of 39.88%.

"That's incredible," District 17 Chief Nadine Brown told the Journal Tuesday evening. She added, "It's nice to know our community is behind us ... It's exciting we got the support we're looking for."

If the merger with District 18 is approved by residents in August, it will be complete on Jan. 1, 2026. If the merger passes, Fire District 17 will still be part of a mutual aid agreement with Brinnon Fire and fire districts in Mason County.

District 17 has three stations, at 34571 N. U.S. Highway 101 in Lilliwaup, Colony Surf and Beacon Point.

Fire District 17 is run by volunteers, most of whom are more than 65 years old. A District 17 election flyer states several of its volunteers have full-time jobs, limiting their ability to respond. The volunteers respond from their homes, to a station for an apparatus, then to the emergency.

The flyer lists the benefits of the merger as receiving a response from a staffed station around the clock to their emergency, a pool of almost 40 members and a full-time command staff.

Hoodsport Fire & EMS has three fully equipped BLS ambulances. One ambulance is stationed at station 17-1. The district has two paramedics, two paramedics in training. Two advanced EMTs, 20 EDMTS and one EMR on staff. The Hoodsport Fire & EMS has more than 24 certified firefighters on staff.

If the merger is approved, the increased tax collection will begin in 2026. The owner of a $300,000 property can expect to pay about $49.80 per year, or $4.16 a month.