I am writing this letter to ask all concerned citizens to please vote “Yes” for the South King Fire & Rescue Maintenance and Operations Levy on Aug. 7th.

The Fire Department cannot charge for the services they provide, it is totally dependent upon property taxes that are calculated from property values. We all know that home values have been declining.

The Fire Department has lost over 22 percent of the annual operating budget, and has eliminated 26 staff positions. We cannot afford to let our services decline any further.

I am asking all of you to support our firefighters and the emergency services that protect all of us by voting “Yes.” I realize our economy is hurting and we, of course, want government to be efficient, but this is too important to ignore. Thank you for understanding.

Jack Stanford
Federal Way