Robert Mittendorf
The Bellingham Herald
WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Whatcom County homeowners could be paying more in property taxes next year because the cost of providing Medic One ambulance service is rising faster than revenue.
One proposal to solve the crisis would cost the average homeowner $26 more next year, County Council members learned in a financial review halfway through the 2025-2026 spending cycle.
That step involves taking the 1% annual increase plus the “banked” taxing capacity not taken in previous years, Deputy Executive Kayla Schott-Bresler told councilmembers in a presentation Tuesday in the Committee of the Whole.
“The structural deficit for the current year is estimated at $2.9 million and without additional revenue may grow to as much as $5.9 million by 2028, fully depleting reserves and causing significant cash-flow challenges,” Schott-Bresler said in a memo.
In the committee meeting Tuesday, council members discussed several options for keeping the level of service that was promised when voters extended the countywide emergency medical services levy in 2022.
That levy funds the countywide Medic One ambulance program operated by Bellingham Fire Department, a service that provides five ambulances staffed by specially trained firefighter-paramedics who respond to the most serious medical emergencies. The levy also pays for paramedic training, equipment, and the community paramedic program that assists people who use the EMS system frequently.
Fire departments throughout the county, including Bellingham Fire, also operate their own ambulances staffed by firefighter-EMTs, who respond to less serious medical calls and are funded separately. Those services are funded separately.
Any changes to the operating agreements with the various fire departments would require further negotiations.
“The expense structure of the EMS Fund is primarily predicated on long-term agreements with ALS and BLS agencies and What-Comm (the 911 dispatch system operated by the city of Bellingham ). Any path toward meaningful reductions in expenses would require the county to revisit these agreements and the level of service stipulated. Doing so outside the established EMS levy planning process could be highly disruptive. We expect the planning process for the next levy cycle to begin in late 2026 and believe that process would provide an appropriate avenue for consideration of cost-saving measures,” Schott-Bresler said.
Council members Mark Stremler and Tyler Byrd suggested that the EMS Oversight Board should consider budget cuts until the levy returns to voters for renewal in 2028.
“It’s the very least we should be doing. What are we going to do to build trust with the voters?” Byrd said.
County Council members took no action Tuesday.
The EMS Oversight Board meets Friday to consider its options. Meanwhile, County Executive Satpal Sidhu plans to offer a proposal, Schott-Bresler said.
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