This i-Petition has been drafted by a group of Edmonds’ concerned citizens. We believe that the Mayor and Council need to hear from a critical mass of residents who are tired of incessant South County Regional Fire Authority (RFA) service price increases and who oppose annexation into the RFA.

The RFA has had a ‘cost plus profit’ contract with the City of Edmonds since 2010. This was a fair contract for both parties as it allowed price increases as costs increased over time. But the contract price increased 50% between 2019 and 2023, with no increase in services or faster 911 response. The RFA unilaterally cancelled this contract effective 12/31/2025. The RFA proposes increasing the service fees from $11.5 million/yr for 2024 to $19.0 million/yr starting January 2026 - a 65 % increase.

The RFA wants to annex Edmonds into its territory and collect taxes directly from Edmonds property owners. A homeowner in Edmonds whose house has an assessed value of $1M will pay about $960 more in taxes per year for the same level of service after annexation. The RFA’s operating budget and reserve fund will simply get bigger. Why would anyone vote for annexation?

The topic of RFA annexation is on the City Council agenda for December 3rd. The Council is expected to authorize an April 2025 special election that gives voters the chance to approve or reject RFA annexation and its huge tax increase. Once annexed, Edmonds’ residents would have no exit path!

Please sign this i-Petition and tell the Mayor and Council to terminate negotiations with the RFA and walk away from RFA annexation. Tell them that you want reasonably priced Fire/Ems service - either with Edmonds' own fire department, a contract with another city, or a contract with a different fire district. Tell the Mayor and Council that you want them to take the next 13 months to evaluate and implement a service strategy where we have more control over costs and levels of service.

We have no complaints with the first responders themselves. This i-Petition is needed to call out RFA management who has not managed Fire/Ems operations efficiently. Because Edmonds still owns its fire stations and has rights to buy back our fire engines from the RFA, we have options on who provides our service. Several service providers have been identified to the Mayor and City Council. We believe those alternative providers will be able to provide equivalent Fire/Ems services and control future cost increases better than the RFA.

After signing this i-Petition, please share it with your friends and neighbors and ask them to sign soon. All voting-eligible members of your household should be invited to sign the petition.

Feel free to send a Public Comment to the Council to emphasize your concerns -

https://www.edmondswa.gov/government/city_council/online_public_comment

Please note that the i-Petition donate button goes to i-Petition app developers, not to our citizens group. We plan to set up a website and 501c non-profit organization so we can fund our ongoing operation. Stay tuned!