Chehalis Fire Department Captain Casey Beck said he hoped voters would understand a proposed Emergency Medical Services levy renewal was not a new tax and that it was needed to maintain current services.

    The voters apparently got the message.

    A resounding 80 percent of Chehalis voters voted in favor of the levy renewal. The lopsided decision means the department can forego cuts to medical supplies and plans to lay off two emergency medical technicians.

    It was the only contingency plan in place should the levy have failed, he said.

    “It’s tough to ask folks for their hard-earned money when there’s a lot of people with no jobs and facing financial problems,” Beck said. “So it’s truly impressive with the 80 percent margin in these tough economic times.”

    A total of 1,063 residents voted in favor of the renewal compared to 264 who were opposed. The measure needed a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

    The renewal proposed a continuance of the current levy for six years — the last approved levy was 10 years — to tax up to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

    In 2008, the department fielded 1,228 emergency medical service calls, compared to 712 when the levy was last renewed in 1999.

    Beck credits the victory to the hard work of the department and the respect the community has for the profession and its roll in Chehalis.

     Chehalis City Council Dennis Dawes — who retained his own seat after running unopposed — said he was pleased with the department’s work in getting the levy passed.

    Dawes said he was always optimistic that voters would approve the measure, though the tattered economy provided some reason to worry.

    “I think the public understood,” he said. “I think the message was put out there very well.”

    Eric Schwartz: (360) 807-8245