Okanogan Fire Protection District 16 is legally defined as a junior taxing district of the State of Washington. It is governed by three commissioners who are elected to six year terms (those terms are overlapped so that every two years one position is up for election). The RCW's state that a commissioner must reside within the fire district.
A single commissioner does not have authority to act alone. Only through the consensus of the commissioners can decisions be made and actions taken. Most actions only require a majority vote but a small legally defined list of actions requires unanimous approval.
All other personnel positions in the district are volunteers. The commissioners appoint the Chief, who then is responsible for running the emergency services function of the district.
The district is 100% volunter powered. To date not a singe penny has been paid to any district employee for services rendered, commissioners included (according to RCW's commissioners are entitled to be paid for public meetings and commissioner "work days". No reimbursement has ever been accepted. This has saved the district over $26,000 thus far.
How do we handle our monies? Simply put, Okanogan County is our banker. The Treasurer’s office handles any income and the Auditor’s office cuts the checks to cover the list of expenses approved by the fire district commissioners. There must be a bill or receipt to for every expense we pay. We do not have petty cash or slush funds. Any actual monies or checks received by us (not a real common occurrence) are deposited directly with the county.
Aeneas Valley Fire District 16