Clallam County Fire District 3 passed its most recent state audit with “flying colors,” fire district officials announced last week.

The agency saved local taxpayers $3,000 because it was organized and prepared when meeting with state officials, the district noted in a press release.

“It’s important that our community know we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Fire District 3 Chief Ben Andrews said. “Transparency is critical to taxpayers who trust us with their hard-earned money.”

Independent audits are a requirement of any publicly funded agency in the state.

In reviewing Fire District 3’s numbers, the state auditor’s office wrote, “The reduction in (audit) costs is primarily due to the responsiveness of District management and staff, the strength of the District’s internal controls, and the fact that documentation was well-organized and readily available.”

This report covered Fire District 3’s accountability and financial statements for the years 2016-2017. A copy of the reports can be viewed at www.sao.wa.gov.

The fire district primarily funds emergency medical service and fire service through two property tax levies. Voters first approved a general levy of $1.50-per-$1,000 of assessed property value in 2004.

Levy rates fall as property values rise to limit the district to collecting roughly the same amount of revenue per year, District 3 officials noted last week. As a result, the general levy rate has fallen to $1.26/$1,000.

The fire district is considering asking voters to approve a levy lid lift of $0.24-per-$1,000 of assessed property value to “maintain emergency service levels, improve staffing where possible, train personnel and fund some facility and apparatus needs,” district officials said last week.

If approved, the levy lid lift would be about an additional $60 per year ($5 per month) for the owner of a $250,000 home.

First District 3 services an area of about 30,000 people and responds to approximately 7,300 emergency calls per year.