CHIMACUM — Efforts to consolidate two Jefferson County fire districts and one from Kitsap County continue to move ahead, but they could become snagged in the future by one of the agencies’ lagging finances.

Jefferson County Fire Districts No. 1 (Chimacum) and No. 3 (known as Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue) and North Kitsap Fire & Rescue have been planning for consolidation of operations and budgets for several months as a way of increasing services in a time of declining revenue.

Discussions have moved to the point where the chiefs of the three districts have decided what leadership positions they will occupy in January, the target date for combining administrations.

The hang-up is that District No. 1’s property tax revenue isn’t enough to cover its cost to participate in consolidation, even in the first year.

The answer is raising, or “lifting,” District 1’s property tax rate, said Michele Laboda, public information officer for the consolidated district who is also in charge of the levy lift committee.

May election planned

Laboda on Tuesday night said the current plan is to put District 1’s levy lift request on the ballot in May.

No amount has been determined.

“We want to educate the public about the need,” Laboda said when asked why the levy wouldn’t be on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.

District 1 is in a unique position because it has less property valuation and lower tax rates for general fire and emergency medical services, yet has a higher call load than the Port Ludlow district.

According to figures available on the Jefferson County assessor’s Web site, property in District 1 is valued at just more than $500 million.

That generates an estimated $432,000 in general fire tax revenues and $218,000 for emergency medical services from a combined property tax rate of $1.29774 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The district’s cost to participate in the consolidated fire operation is estimated to be $881,434 for 2005, or 17 percent of the total cost.