Special Election 2023

Election Results

The election results are in! We had over 40% turnout for the special election. Thank you for voting!

Results for City of Brier Proposition No. 1

• Yes: 77.88% (1584 votes)
• No: 22.12% (450 votes)

Statistics

• 2035 ballots returned
  • 0 over voted ballots
  • 0 overvotes
  • 1 undervotes
• 4998 registered voters
• Turnout 40.72%

More Information

• https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20230425/snohomish/
• https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/107533/Statement-of-Votes-Cast-by-Precincts-for-wa_snohomish_2023s_April-4?bidId=

Related News

• https://mltnews.com/mountlake-terrace-brier-voters-approving-south-county-fire-annexation/
• https://www.heraldnet.com/news/brier-mountlake-terrace-voters-back-joining-south-county-fire/

Next Election

Our next election is the 2023 General Election, this November. The week of May 15th is important to watch, though, because that's when candidates who wish to run for City Council need to file to be on the ballot. Check out our General Election 2023 page for more details!

What's going on?

Overview

Brier's 20+ year contract with South County Fire expires at the end of 2024. The April 2023 Special Election ballot asks Brier citizens to authorize annexation into the South County Fire regional fire authority (RFA).

Financial Concerns

There are significant financial factors surrounding the annexation proposal and the end of the contract with South County Fire. For detailed information, check out the links and videos below.

A primary concern for residents has been the remaining 1 year on the existing contract. Multiple Q&As have been held where the City leadership described the rationale for the timing of annexation.

Current Contract Limitations

Brier's contract with South County Fire was based on population needs in 2001 and limits the number of personnel at Fire Station 18 (Brier's station) to 3 people, even though the building could currently support more. The vast majority (86%) of Brier's 911 calls are for EMS, and some of those calls require 8 or more responders. One call may require units from 3 different stations. When Station 18's crew is on a call, other emergencies in Brier need to be handled by units from stations farther away, such as Lynnwood's Station 15. There are many variables, but dispatching units from other stations could add 4-6 minutes to the response time.

City/South County Fire Q&A Sessions

Three Q&A sessions have been held for residents to raise concerns and learn more about the annexation. Two of those sessions took place during City Council meetings (April 4 and April 11) and one was held at Fire Station 18 (April 18). You can hear the audio recording and see the presentations from the City Council meetings below. Some notes from the April 18 session are also provided below.

How can I vote?

You should have received your ballot in the mail already. If you didn't, you can order a replacement ballot at votewa.gov.

Completed ballots can be returned using one of the open ballot drop boxes or by mail - no postage necessary. Ballots must be dropped off in an open ballot box by 8PM on April 25th or postmarked on April 25th if voting by mail.

Where can I learn more?

• Information from the City of Brier
• Slides presented by the City Council on April 4th
• Additional slides presented by the City Council on April 11th
• Information about the election process and dates from the Snohomish County Auditor's Office

South County Fire hosted this Q&A, and some City of Brier leadership were in attendance.

Various topics were discussed:

• If Brier annexes in, voters get to elect a fire commissioner to represent the interests of Brier's residents in South County Fire
• Limitations with the current contract from 2001 (described above)
• The importance of quick response times for heart attack and cardiac arrest EMS calls
  • High-performance CPR requires at least 3 units to respond
• The City explored the possibility of agreements with other fire departments, and only Shoreline was open to negotiations
  • Contracting with Shoreline would be more expensive and response times would be higher
• The City has to pay for special elections, and this election was cheaper because Mountlake Terrace was holding theirs at the same time, so both cities could split the cost
  • Holding another special election might require Brier to foot the entire bill
• Prospective City employees (e.g. police, public works) could be scared off when looking at Brier's current financial situation, since the significant deficit can make Brier look like a less stable employer than surrounding cities
• The previous City leadership repeatedly declined to refresh the EMS levy
• How Brier and Snohomish County both attempted to recruit Pro/Con committees to write statements for the voters' pamphlet but didn't get any responses
  • The City of Brier:
    • Announced it in the Jan 24, 2023 City Council meeting
    • Posted it on the City website Jan 24, 2023
    • Posted it on the public notice boards
    • Posted it in the "paper of record" - Everett Herald (we could not find an online article)
    • MLTnews.com also ran a story about Brier's possible annexation, mentioning the call for Pro/Con committee volunteers
• Other topics that were covered in the previous Q&A sessions