EAST MISSOULA — Train tracks, a busy interstate, and the Clark Fork River — East Missoula is a diverse area for the local volunteer fire department to keep safe.
The East Missoula Rural Fire Department has been doing just that since 1949.
Now-decades later, the challenge is the cost of operating is higher which is why the department is proposing a mill levy on the special district ballot on May 6, 2025.
“We're looking to get up to a $300,000 mark for the operating budget. Presently, we're just about $78,000 with the current operating budget for the day-to-day," Fire Chief Tyler Munoz told MTN.
The reason for the $300,000 request, according to Munoz, is that the department wants to make some upgrades as soon as possible and plan for future growth in the area.
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"Our budget hasn't increased ever in terms of a levy for an operating budget. We've gone after bonds in the past to get equipment," Munoz shared.
Munoz notes that most of the current budget goes toward keeping the station running.
“Just keeping trucks on the road, power in the building, Wi-Fi to keep all of our everything running. About 43% of our budget instantly goes to that," he explained.
East Missoula Rural takes a non-traditional approach to being staffed with two crew members 24/7/365, but one that proves how much of a necessity the department is.
“So, everybody that works here doesn't actually live within the fire district. I think that kind of shows how special East Missoula is because people enjoy it enough and want to help the community that they adopt somewhere where they don't even necessarily live.”
Through the levy, the department wants to increase training opportunities for its firefighters.
“We see a lot of different incidents. We have a river running through that's very prominent. We have railways; we have interstates, highways," Munoz shared. "The more we can qualify our people for and teach them how to handle it, the better off and the more service we can provide to the community," he continued.
Plus, when people’s lives are on the line, the department says they don’t want to nickel and dime on essentials.
“It also will allow us to keep up on gear replacement to meet NFPA standards, also allows us the flexibility for when new tech comes out to be able to actually compete at acquiring that kind of tech," Munoz detailed.
Munoz added, "With what we're trying to do now, that number will allow us an equipment replacement plan, so it'll let us start to pre-plan phasing out trucks versus having to get bonds and levies for a truck in the future."
As for what the levy will do to finances, Munoz says that for a $300,000 home, taxes will increase from $134.86 to $237.69.
“We want to be very transparent because obviously, in this day and age, nobody likes to have increased costs come from anywhere, but we're looking to make sure that we can maintain the quality of service we have and then hopefully keep advancing it into the future," Munoz said.
As for a possible annexation (of part or all) of East Missoula from Missoula County into the City of Missoula, Munoz notes that impacts on the fire department are unknown at this time.
To learn more about the proposed levy, the East Missoula Rural Fire Department is hosting an open house at their station on March 1st from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The department urges residents to fill out a survey with their opinions regarding the possible levy.
