It looks like Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety will have to continue using its savings as the board of commissioners likely will not approve going back to the voters again this year, according to Chief Tim Lemon.

“All indications are that we will not be running a levy this year,” Lemon said in an e-mail.

Twice in 2008 the department put a levy lid lift on the ballot to restore its taxing level to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation of property. Twice, in August and November, the lid lift failed.

A homeowner with a house that is worth $350,000 would have paid $38.50 per year toward the department, also known as Fire District 43.

About 90 percent of the department’s $8 million budget go toward this year’s salaries and health benefits for staff, so, there is not much to cut beyond what staff already cut last year and into this year.

Cuts were made, Lemon told The Reporter in May, to maximize the department’s cash reserves in areas such as firefighter education and training. The department also chose not to hire six additional firefighters because there is no money for it after the failure of the lid lift.

Maple Valley Fire’s reserve funds will be at about $250,000 at the end of this year.

Lemon told The Reporter in May it would be possible to get through until 2010 without additional tax income but “if we don’t have a lid lift in 2010 for collection in 2011 I know we’ll have to lay people off.”

At the board’s last meeting the commissioners agreed to put off a levy lid lift this year “with anticipation that we will go to voters in 2010.”

“The Board has not decided on how to handle any potential short fall as of yet,” Lemon said. “Any short fall will not be known until assessed valuations for the jurisdiction come out in October/November.”