WOODBURN, Ore. — At its Feb. 19 meeting, the Woodburn Fire District Board of Directors voted to place a local option levy on the May 19, 2026, Primary Election ballot.

If approved, the measure would maintain eight firefighter positions that currently allow the District to staff two fire stations with two fully staffed engines and continue working to meet its goal of eight-minute response times. Without these positions, response times would increase and the District would rely more heavily on mutual aid from neighboring agencies, which can take up to 20 minutes depending on location.

The proposed levy rate is $0.55 per $1,000 of assessed property value. For the average assessed home in Woodburn—approximately $200,000—the cost would be about $110 per year, or roughly $9.17 per month.

The eight firefighter positions are currently funded through a temporary federal grant that is set to expire, and no replacement funding source has been identified. Since 2015, emergency call volume in the District has increased approximately 80 percent, and overlapping emergency calls have also increased significantly, now occurring about 40 percent of the time.

“This action ensures voters have the opportunity to decide whether to maintain current emergency response staffing,” said Fire Chief Jim Walker. “Our goal is to provide clear information so residents understand what this measure would support and what it would cost.”

In addition to maintaining staffing levels and working to meet response time goals, sustained staffing may help improve the District’s insurance risk rating, which could potentially reduce homeowner insurance premiums.

Additional information about the measure is available at woodburnfire.com. Community members will also be invited to attend public Q&A sessions in March, with dates and times to be announced later this spring.

Woodburn Fire District provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire prevention, and life safety services to approximately 40,000 residents across 75 square miles. The District serves the cities of Woodburn and Gervais, along with surrounding unincorporated areas of Marion County, and responds to an average of 4,000 emergency calls annually.