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LAYTON — The Layton City Council has proposed building a new fire station to address growing response times caused by population growth in one part of the city. In the Thursday night meeting, the council also called for the city's first property tax increase in recent history.
The project is expected to cost $3.7 million. If approved, the Layton City Fire Department would build its fourth fire station to serve the southeast portion of the city. It would be located near 1400 N. Valley View Drive, between U.S. Highway 89 and Layton’s east bench. Construction could start as early as next year.
The city acquired the land years ago, as well as spots for a fifth and sixth station should the demand for more stations arise, said Layton City spokesman Steve Garside. That means the only cost is construction, and then the cost of running the station once it’s operating.
The proposal brought forth during Thursday’s meeting calls for a 25% increase in property taxes to help foot the bill. The tax hike would cost the average Layton homeowner an additional $60.70 per year, according to Layton City Manager Alex Jensen.
If the proposal passes through the Layton City Council during a final vote Aug. 15, it will be Layton’s first property tax increase since a rate was set by Davis County and the Utah State Tax Commission in 1987, Garside explained.
“We can’t even think of the last time there was a property tax increase in Layton,” he said.
Garside added that the city has planned and even set aside some money for the building over the past few years, but the need for a new station has become increasingly apparent.
The city hasn’t added a fire station since 1998, back when its population was estimated at about 57,000. Layton’s population is currently estimated at roughly 78,000. Since the city continues to grow in population, city officials argue its fire department receives more calls and higher demand, which results in slower responses.
The city has established a level of service it wants to maintain, and in order to do that we need to put a station in that area. Our overall average response time in that area is just under 9 minutes … we always want to be there within 5 minutes.
–Layton City spokesman Steve Garside
In fact, city officials say the department’s emergency call volume has nearly doubled since 1998.
Those in the city’s southwest side have suffered the worst from it, Garside added.
“The city has established a level of service it wants to maintain, and in order to do that we need to put a station in that area,” he said. “Our overall average response time in that area is just under 9 minutes … we always want to be there within 5 minutes.”
In a statement issued Thursday evening, Layton City Fire Chief Kevin Ward supported the plan.
“One tremendous benefit of Fire Station No. 4’s location is the proximity to the wildland-urban interface area. This station will drastically improve our initial attack capability to help contain wildfires and prevent them from becoming catastrophic events,” Ward said. “Fire Station No. 4 will fill a critical gap in emergency response coverage in Layton City. Our goal is to have fire stations strategically located to provide timely emergency medical and fire response.”
So far, the city has received some questions from residents about taxes and other financial implications, but nothing substantial. The city has scheduled a public forum at the Layton City Center for Aug. 8, a week before the council votes on the budget, to seek more feedback. There’s also an open house scheduled for July 31.
The city also set up a webpage where residents can learn more about the proposal, which can be found here.
