March 08--Permission was granted to annex 14 properties into the Wallowa Rural Fire Protection District allowing homeowners to qualify for lower insurance rates and to have peace of mind that their home is now a priority.
The county commissioners approved a proposal to increase the territory that the Wallowa Fire District protects at its meeting Monday morning. Commissioner Susan Roberts said that the district could have done the annexation on its own, but it wanted permission from the board.
With the annexation also comes a change in property tax, but the change from having a contract with the district as opposed to being under their direct protection makes a potential fire a priority for firefighter response. If another fire is occurring in the county, a homeowner with only contract must wait until resources are available.
John Duckworth, representing the district, said Wallowa did have mutual aid agreements with the other fire departments in the county.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Mike Hayward said it was noteworthy all of the 14 properties were within seven miles of Wallowa.
"Some of these folks who own rural land assessed by the Oregon Department of Forestry get confused that it doesn't cover structures. That's what drove some of these people to ask for inclusion," said Hayward.
Perry Johnston said he had met with the Department of Forestry to make sure the district and the state were not dually assessing properties.
"The assessor's office was very cooperative," said Johnson.
Johnson said the district assesses $.47 per $1,000 of the property's value. The department runs on a budget of only $16,000 a year.
Copyright 2012 - The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
