The forum will be held Mon., March 24 at CCFR Station 21, located at 911 N. 65th Avenue in Ridgefield
RIDGEFIELD – Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) is hosting a community forum on Monday, March 24, 2025, at 6 p.m. to discuss the significant impact of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) on emergency services in northwest Clark County and southwest Cowlitz County. The forum will be held at CCFR Station 21, located at 911 N. 65th Avenue in Ridgefield.
CCFR provides critical fire and emergency medical services to approximately 52,000 residents across an area of over 125 miles, including the cities of La Center, Ridgefield, Woodland, and the Cowlitz Indian Reservation. The district relies primarily on regular property tax fire levies for funding. However, recent TIF ordinances adopted by the Port of Ridgefield and the City of Ridgefield, along with a planned ordinance by the Port of Woodland, threaten CCFR’s financial stability by redirecting millions of dollars in property tax revenue towards economic development projects.
Over the next 25 years, CCFR projects that these TIF ordinances will divert more than $70 million in revenue away from fire and EMS services, significantly impacting CCFR’s ability to provide essential emergency services to the growing community. While CCFR supports economic development, it emphasizes the need for the revenue generated by new growth to support expanded services in developing areas.
“CCFR supports economic and community development projects, however, we need the revenue that usually comes with new growth to be able to serve the developing area,” said Fire Chief John Nohr.
The community forum aims to inform residents about the effects of TIF and gather feedback on potential actions, including a special levy, a fire benefit charge, or a legal challenge regarding the constitutionality of the current TIF law. Fire Commissioner Larry Bartel underscored the importance of ensuring that tax dollars approved for fire services are used as intended: “As elected Fire Commissioners, we have a duty to ensure that the tax dollars voters approved for the Fire District are being received by the Fire District to serve our residents.”
Residents and business owners are encouraged to attend the forum to provide input on how CCFR should address these challenges. For more information about TIF and its impact on CCFR, contact Fire Chief John Nohr at john.nohr@clarkfr.org. General information about CCFR can be found at www.clarkfr.org.
Information provided by Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue.
