Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURESFire district fire protection service, equipment and facilities are funded almost exclusively by levies. If annexationoccurs, Bremerton Fire Department would have access to additional revenues and could be funded by the City ofBremerton’s general fund, with revenue from property and other taxes. This revenue increase could partially orfully offset any increased need for services and facilities. Alternatively, the City of Bremerton could contract withthe SKFR for continued service provision from SKFP Station 16 which is located just outside the Gorst UGAboundary. In this case there would also likely be sufficient revenues from the area to fund the contracted services.Alternative 2Alternative 2 models a moderate growth level for the Gorst UGA, higher than under the Alternative 1 but lowerthan under Alternative 3. Alternative 2 assumes a 2035 Gorst UGA population of 1,207, which is an increase of 985residents over current population levels.County Impacts. The estimated 985 additional residents would have minimal impact on the LOS for SKFR, althoughthe specific need for personnel services, equipment, and facilities would be determined through ongoing planningwithin SKFR. The County Fire LOS in the 2012 Final Comprehensive Plan CFP will serve all Alternative 2 growththrough 2035, as shown in Table 3.12-4 SKFR Projected LOS – Alternative 2.Table 3.12-4SKFR Projected LOS – Alternative 2SOUTH KITSAP FIRE AND RESCUETime PeriodDistrict ServiceArea PopulationLOS = 0.36 FIRE UNITS PER 1,000 POPULATIONFire Units Neededto Meet LOSstandardFire UnitsAvailableNet Reserve or(Deficiency)2010 72,329 26.0 36.0 10.02035 Alternative 2 100,115 36.0 36.0 -Source: SKFR, 2012; Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element, 2012; Washington State Office of FinancialManagement, 2012; and BERK, 2013Although the assumed population is higher than under the No Action Alternative, SKFR will have adequate capacityto serve the additional residents under Alternative 2.City of Bremerton Impacts. If the Gorst UGA were to be annexed by the City of Bremerton before 2035, thecurrent population of the Gorst UGA and the projected growth of 985 residents would come under the jurisdictionof the Bremerton Fire Department, for a total population of about 1,207 people over the next 20-30 years. Underthe Kitsap County Final SEIS prepared in 2012 for the Kitsap County UGA Resizing and Composition Remand, theCity of Bremerton was estimated to grow by about 14,288 residents without annexing Gorst or any other assignedUGA. The additional population from a Gorst annexation would only represent about eight percent additionalpopulation growth, which would not be expected to affect the level of fire and EMS services in the City ofBremerton.As with Alternative 1, there would be time for the City of Bremerton to plan for any additional growth from theGorst UGA and the total impact is still relatively small in terms of overall growth in the City of Bremerton. As thearea grew there would be opportunities to assess the best operational approach to meeting the fire needs, whichcould include options involving mutual aid agreements with SKFR, who currently serves the population.Fire district fire protection service, equipment and facilities are funded almost exclusively by levies. If annexationoccurs, Bremerton Fire Department would have access to additional revenues and could be funded by the City ofBremerton’s general fund, with revenue from property and other taxes. This revenue increase could partially orfully offset any increased need for services and facilities. Also, if it was determined that it was more efficient tocontinue to serve the fire and EMS needs of the Gorst UGA from the SKFP station 16, then the revenues from theannexation and new growth in the area would likely be adequate to support contracted services for this area.Draft | June 2013 3-184