Benefiting all members of WFSA

In 2026 residents of the Whitefish Fire Service Area will pay the city of Whitefish $374,909 for fire protection, per contract. This amount represents the total expense of wage and benefits of three full time employees.  

The $180 per year each residence pays, represents approximately 9.4 mills on an average house. For comparison the average mill rate for the 17 Fire Districts in Flathead County is 40 mills. During the past two years all public requests to our board have been for increased fire protection. At current staffing levels last year WFD had 194 occasions where there was no immediate fire or EMS units available if a 911 call was received. Currently your request for service has a 40% chance it will be answered by Columbia Falls FD. With proposed increased funding for four FTE from WFSA the WFD would be capable of responses to two calls simultaneously. Approximate cost is $480,000. This will benefit all members of WFSA.  

As a fire service area, the County commissioners are responsible for setting the flat fee. MCA 7-33-2404. If residents want a direct vote on taxes, they need to petition to become a Fire District. Fees based on a mill levy are much more fair and equitable. The WFSA Board initiated a petition to switch to a district two years ago. To date there has been minimum response. There are several areas which stated they would not support a petition for a district unless they were promised a fire station in their neighborhood. Building a station, purchasing trucks, and funding employee salaries could easily require a tax rate 10-20 times higher than our existing rate. The WFSA board feels strongly that any additional increase in fees should provide the most benefit for the largest number of residents. Additional services require additional fees. Please explain how a candidate can promise additional services and not support additional fees.  

— Dave Kauffman, Whitefish