Fire service area moving forward

By BRENT SHRUM Western News Reporter

A proposal to expand the Cabinet View fire service area south of Libby is moving forward following a public hearing last week.

The Lincoln County Commissioners plan to act on the proposal on March 23, starting a 60-day public comment period during which residents of the area to be annexed into the district can register their objections. If a majority of property owners oppose the expansion, the proposal will be defeated. Otherwise, the expansion will go through as planned.

"Unless we hear differently, we're going to assume you're for it," said Commissioner John Konzen at the conclusion of last Wednesday's hearing.

Residents of the expansion area can also ask to "opt out" of the annexation, and those requests will be considered by the commissioners on an individual basis, Konzen said. Such requests are more likely to be approved if they deal with property on the fringes of the district, he said.

"If you're sitting in the heart of the thing it's going to be tough," he said.

Konzen indicated he doesn't expect much opposition to the expansion.

"What we've heard in public meetings is it's pretty well supported," he said.

The fire service area currently covers 26 residences and four businesses. The proposal calls for expanding that to include all of the roughly 200 residences within five miles of the fire hall along Luscher Drive. The five-mile radius corresponds with the maximum distance recognized for insurance purposes. Insurance discounts vary depending on the department's rating, but structures more than five driving miles from a fire station are considered without protection by the insurance industry.

Residential structures within the Cabinet View service area are assessed $125 per year to help fund the department. Commercial structures are assessed $75 per year, and buildings like shops and barns are assessed $10 each.

Those fees are too expensive, said area resident Ken Wickward. He said his property will be assessed $135 to $185 depending on how the structures are counted, while the Libby Rural Fire District would charge about $50 per year for the same property. Other service areas in the county charge flat fees of $25 to $50 per year, Wickward said.

The Cabinet View department is relatively new and won't be rated as highly as the Libby department for insurance purposes, Wickward said. He suggested that the county commissioners modify Cabinet View's fee structure.

"You as the commissioners have the ability to set the fees, and that would be my input," he said.

The potential is there for the other departments to raise their fees to match current expenses, said Commissioner Rita Windom.

"What I'm saying is I don't think we can just single them out," she said.

George Keck said he expects to save around $500 per year on insurance if the expansion is approved.

"If you're interested in money, you're going to save it more in your insurance premium every year," he said.

Chuck Brown suggested that the entire area should be served by one department with paid firefighters.

"Why not give equipment and things to guys that are established and know what they're doing?" he said.

Responding to suggestions that the area could be annexed into the Libby Rural Fire District instead of into Cabinet View, Libby Chief Tom Wood said there has been no move in that direction by either the district or area residents. He said his department will help train Cabinet View and will work with the newer department.

"If we can get some help from other folks, hey, we'll take it," he said.

Wood said the Libby rural district has been planning to establish a satellite station at Whiskey Hill to ensure properties in the southern part of the district are within the five-mile radius of a station recognized for insurance purposes. The substation won't have to be built if the Cabinet View expansion goes into effect because those properties will be within five miles of the Cabinet View station, he said.

Keck said area residents will be better off with the Cabinet View expansion than they would be waiting for the Libby substation to be built.

"We're already ahead of the game if we pursue this approach," he said.

June Barnes said the peace of mind provided by the proximity of the Cabinet View fire station and the knowledge that local firefighters will arrive quickly in the event of an emergency is well worth $125 per year.

"I don't think $125 per year is going to break anybody," she said.