The Chehalis City Council on Monday night approved an increase in rates as part of an update to an interlocal agreement with the Riverside Fire Authority for fire marshal services.
The change will result in a flat rate of $10,000, or $1,666.66 a month, for Jan. 1 through June 31. The hourly rate was previously $58.83, for an annual cost of $8,584, in 2016.
The increase will impact the fire department’s budget.
According to the agenda report, Riverside Fire Authority has provided fire marshal services at a discounted rate for the past six years to reflect ongoing discussions of a merger between the authority's two departments.
With those discussions now suspended for at least a year, Riverside Fire Authority is no longer able to provide the discounted rate, according to the agenda report.
“The updated interlocal agreement better reflects the fair cost for the time it takes RFA personnel to provide fire code inspections, plans review, and enforcement services provided to the City of Chehalis,” according to the agenda report.
The fiscal terms of the agreement will span Jan. 1 to June 31. According to the agenda report, RFA requested the time frame to monitor the amount of time it takes to serve Chehalis to ensure the new rate is accurately capturing costs.
The increase was not included in the 2017 budget, so it may require a budget amendment later this year.
The total impact to the budget will be better known after RFA evaluates the cost of providing the services to the city, according to the agenda report. The city also has plans to evaluate whether there are more cost effective options that will not sacrifice quality — “a highly valued component of the service provided by the RFA.”
The measure passed with an unanimous vote in the consent agenda at Monday night’s council meeting.
