Years in the making, Union’s fire station merger finally passes
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, June 18th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION – After years of work, public outreach, and one previously failed vote, the City of Union is finally moving forward with merging its local fire stations. For those unfamiliar with the situation, the City of Union Fire and EMS Service and the Union Rural Fire Protection District (URFPD) have, up to this point, operated as legally distinct entities with their own funding and overseen by their own respective fire chiefs.
While distinct on paper, however, both services operate out of the exact same fire station, share much of the same equipment, and are staffed by many of the same volunteers. Over the years, this bureaucratic quirk has caused some issues with dispatching and deciding which service has jurisdiction over what areas.
The city has been attempting to merge services for some time by annexing the city EMS service into the rural service. This annexation was initially put up for vote during the 2023 special election but failed due to lack of voter turnout. During the May 2024 Primary election, however, the annexation finally passed, with a total of 408 yes votes and 271 no votes.
During the transition to a singular fire service, Union residents may notice changes. According to City Manager Celeste Tate, Union residents are charged a user fee as part of the city’s EMS coverage. Beginning July 1st, however, this fee will not be charged while the URFPD assesses property taxes. The new standalone rural fire district won’t receive tax funding until November, with the city working to transfer existing funds over to URFPD to cover operating expenses and equipment replacement during the transition phase. With regards to funding and the tax burden on residents, Tate stated:
“I think it’s a good decision for community members, because it provides stability on what the costs are going to be for citizens. They will have a permanent tax rate that cannot be increased without going back to vote.”
The City of Union also met with the city EMS, the rural fire service, and members of the public in January to assess the age and upkeep requirements of the current fire station equipment. This feedback led to the creation of a proper equipment replacement schedule to assist during the transition.
As of the time of writing, it has not been decided which fire chief will oversee the URFPD once the annexation is completed.
