Would my fire tax go down?

The District's roughly $0.90 levy would be replaced by an estimated RFA rate of $0.45 per $1,000 plus a fire benefit service charge. The charge will be calculated in 2028, so the official statement does not give a total.

Would District residents have a seat on the RFA board?

No. The explanatory statement says the plan amendment does not provide District residents with representation on the Governing Board.

Should I vote yes or no on Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1 — Annexation Into Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Only voters in this district

What it does: Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1 Annexation Into Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority The Board of Commissioners of Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 has approved Resolution No. 2026-02 concerning an annexation into Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority. This proposition would authorize Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 to annex into Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority to provide fire and emergency medical services effective March 1, 2027, as described in the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority plan amendment attached to Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Resolution No. 2026-02. Should this proposition be:
A YES vote means: Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 would join the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority for fire and emergency medical services, effective March 1, 2027.
A NO vote means: Fire District No. 10 would not be annexed into the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority.
Needed to pass: A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean: Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Only on your ballot if you live in the Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10.

Explained

Today

Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 gets its fire protection and emergency medical services under a contract with the City of Bothell.
The District levies a regular property tax of about $0.90 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Bothell is seeking to annex into the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority (RFA) on the same ballot.

If it passes

The District would annex into the Shoreline Fire Department RFA, which would provide fire and emergency medical services starting March 1, 2027.
The RFA plan amendment estimates a tax rate of $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed value, assessed in 2027 for collection in 2028, replacing the District's own regular levy.
The RFA would also impose a fire benefit service charge, to be calculated in 2028 using the formula in the RFA plan.
The plan amendment does not give District residents representation on the RFA Governing Board.

Who would notice

Property owners and residents of Fire District No. 10 (served today by Bothell under contract).

How it got here

The District's Board of Commissioners approved Resolution No. 2026-02 placing the annexation on the ballot, saying it would let the District maintain or improve current service levels as Bothell seeks to join the Shoreline RFA.

Written by SpectrumVote from 2 linked sources (1, 2). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Background

According to the explanatory statement in the Snohomish County voters' guide, Fire Protection District No. 10 now gets fire and emergency medical services through a contract with the City of Bothell. Bothell is also asking its own voters to annex into the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority (RFA), and the District's commissioners decided the District should seek annexation too.

The statement says the RFA plan amendment does not give District residents representation on the RFA Governing Board. It estimates an RFA tax rate of $.45 per thousand, assessed in 2027 for collection in 2028, which would replace the District's regular levy (now about $.90), plus a fire benefit service charge calculated in 2028 under the RFA Plan's formula.

The amended RFA Plan says the District's Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution No. 2026-01 asking to join on June 23, 2026, and the RFA Governing Board approved the amended plan on July 9, 2026 (Resolution 26-05). If voters approve, annexation takes effect March 1, 2027, and the District will be dissolved no later than December 31, 2027.

Under the plan, the District's EMS levy can't be collected after 2027, so the RFA intends to ask voters in 2027 to approve a replacement EMS levy for 2028 and beyond. The voters' guide prints a statement in favor; no one volunteered to write a statement against.

Put on the ballot by Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Board of Commissioners (Resolution No. 2026-02; earlier annexation request Resolution No. 2026-01, June 23, 2026); ballot title approved by the Prosecuting Attorney's Office August 4, 2026.

From official source 1, official source 2, official source 3.

Who's for and against

Supporting (YES)

Committee For (pamphlet For statement: Morris Parrish, Jack Barnes, Craig Bishop) (campaign committee)

Opposing (NO)

No organized campaign found.

A sourced selection, not a complete list. Who supports a measure is listed so you can see who is behind each side; SpectrumVote takes no position.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1 mean?: Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 would join the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority for fire and emergency medical services, effective March 1, 2027.
What does a NO vote on Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1 mean?: Fire District No. 10 would not be annexed into the Shoreline Fire Department Regional Fire Authority.
Would my fire tax go down?: The District's roughly $0.90 levy would be replaced by an estimated RFA rate of $0.45 per $1,000 plus a fire benefit service charge. The charge will be calculated in 2028, so the official statement does not give a total.
Would District residents have a seat on the RFA board?: No. The explanatory statement says the plan amendment does not provide District residents with representation on the Governing Board.
When would service change hands?: March 1, 2027.
How many votes does Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1 need to pass?: A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 10 Proposition No. 1?: SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?: The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Snohomish County ballot.

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