CROOKED RIVER RANCH, OR -- Crooked River Ranch will vote on a new five-year fire levy in November. "This new local option levy was approved by the fire board in July and will replace an existing local option levy that’s expiring, which was approved by voters in 2018," Fire Chief Sean Hartley said in a video released this week, "The rate of the new local option levy will be $1.17 per thousand of taxable assessed value. This is a $.28 increase over the expiring local option levy." Chief Hartley added, "If your home has a taxable assessed value of $200,000, it would be an increase of $4.66 per month in your property taxes." That’s about $234 dollars a year total, on the tax bill for that property. 

Hartley says the increased levy is needed to handle the 66% increase in emergency medical calls over the last 10 years, "The local option levy will help us improve emergency response within the community and allow us to retain two grant-funded firefighter paramedic positions." The district has also seen a 36% increase in overall call volume, in the last decade. 

For more information on the levy, click HERE.