Pateros EMS levy question appears on Aug. 4 ballot
Pateros voters will decide an EMS levy question Aug. 4. Drop boxes close at 8 p.m.; mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
Pateros voters will decide an emergency-medical-services property-tax levy question on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. The proposed measure would authorize the City of Pateros to impose property-tax levies of up to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for six consecutive years beginning in 2027.
What the ballot measure would do
City of Pateros Resolution No. 2026-11 says the proposed levy would support emergency medical care or emergency medical services within the city. The resolution identifies personnel costs, training, equipment, supplies, vehicles and structures as eligible needs and says the city contracts with Douglas-Okanogan County Fire District 15 for those services.
The ballot language asks whether Pateros should be authorized to impose regular property-tax levies of $0.50 or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation for each of six years beginning in 2027. The measure remains pending until voters cast ballots and Okanogan County completes certification.
Voting deadlines and drop box
The Okanogan County election notice lists July 27, 2026, as the deadline for online registration, mail-in registration and registration transfers. Qualified Washington voters who are not registered may register in person at the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office through Election Day, Aug. 4.
The county notice lists the Pateros ballot drop box at 180 Pateros Mall, in the parking lot. Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Aug. 4; voters should check with their local post office for mailing timing.
How the current levy record differs
Okanogan County’s 2026 levy document lists an existing EMS Pateros City rate of $0.309345 per $1,000 of assessed value, based on an assessed valuation of $113,155,293 and a levy amount of $35,004.03.
Those figures describe the documented 2026 levy record. They are not the outcome of the Aug. 4 ballot measure and should not be presented as a homeowner’s exact future bill. The proposed measure sets a maximum rate of 50 cents per $1,000 for future years, while any actual tax collection would depend on the measure’s approval, the rate imposed and each property’s assessed value.
Where EMS fits in the county system
Okanogan County emergency-response records list Fire District 15 EMS as serving Brewster, Bridgeport Bar, Pateros and Methow. The county’s dispatch information also lists Pateros Fire Department among the fire-protection agencies dispatched in the county system.
Fire District 15 says it owns and operates an EMS transport service providing emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The district’s materials also identify a Pateros station.
What happens next
The county has scheduled canvassing-board meetings for Aug. 12 and Aug. 14 to determine the status of provisional or challenged ballots, followed by an Aug. 18 meeting to canvass votes and certify the election. Those are scheduled dates; they do not represent an election result.
For the controlling terms of the proposal, voters should rely on the City of Pateros resolution and Okanogan County’s official election records.
Sources
Discover more from Interactive News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
