Commissioners should reject NBVFD taxing district plan

On Aug. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Bonners Ferry High School, Boundary County commissioners will decide whether the North Bench Volunteer Fire Department’s petition to become a taxing district should move forward to the November ballot. 

It should not.

For 49 years, NBVFD has served our community. The board now claims a taxing district is the “only way” to maintain professional service, but this ignores long-standing management failures that new tax revenue will not fix. The board maintains more vehicles than required, has not developed the six-acre new station property, has not maintained the current station or agreements with the Airport Board and the Tribe, and has not produced a strategic plan for the next inspection. Their website has been down since February 2025, and they stopped posting agendas/minutes. Community members repeatedly offered help and were ignored.

A taxing district will not solve these issues. The Board also refuses to discuss the cost: forming a district means a 25–68% property-tax increase, raising many residents’ bills from $175 to $300–$1,000 per year. We will not know the final amount until after the election.

The petition also removes “Volunteer” because a taxing district becomes a government agency and must meet minimum staffing. With NBVFD averaging only 2–3 volunteers per call, the district would need 4–6 paid firefighters, adding roughly $300,000 per year in new taxes.

The petition contains legal definition and mapping errors. Combined with the mismanagement above, commissioners should decline to place this measure on the November ballot.

JON-PAUL MICKLE

Moyie Springs