The Lewis County Fire District 10 emergency medical services levy appears to be headed for another easy renewal, with 65 percent of Packwood-area voters giving a thumbs up in Tuesday’s primary election.
As the preliminary vote count stands, the levy garnered 271 votes for passage with 146 votes against it. A final round of ballot counting will be reported at 3 p.m. Friday.
The property-tax levy for emergency medical services goes back to 1986, when it first began taxing $0.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $50 a year for a $200,000 property. It is placed on the ballot every five years and needs 60 percent to pass.
Barbara Wright, a secretary at the fire district for more than 20 years and an emergency medical technician for eight, said in July that each time the levy is placed on the ballot it is approved overwhelmingly.
The Packwood fire station has two ambulances, which also provide mutual aid for Randle and Glenoma. The district bills patients for ambulance services, but fees don’t cover costs for fuel, insurance, supplies and repairs.
The Packwood station currently averages about 190 ambulance calls a year.
