The City of Wood Village contracts with the City of Gresham for fire and emergency medical response. This covers response for medical emergencies, including life threatening ones. In Wood Village, 95% of emergency response calls are for medical or non-fire incidents. The services also include fighting fires, and rescuing people during a serious incident.
95%
Medical & non-fire incidents make up 95% of our emergency response calls
3x
Call volume has grown over three times as fast as our population
1992 → 2026
System resources, like stations and trucks, have stayed roughly the same
So what does this mean?
Over the last thirty years, our emergency call volume has grown over three times as fast as our population – 5 times higher than it was in 1992. Our current emergency response system is strained and doesn’t meet national standards for response times because it lacks adequate resources. From just 2020 to 2024, call volumes have increased 30%. Rising expenses continue to increase the cost of these services, making it difficult for the City to afford them.
The City is considering a levy to maintain these services. The levy could potentially add another fire station and medical unit closer to Wood Village — reducing response times in an emergency by an average of 4 minutes. After careful consideration and conversations with our community, the City will not consider placing a levy on the ballot any sooner than May 2027.
Top 5 Things to Know
Emergency medical services are community’s top need
When someone in our community has an emergency medical incident, our fire services are the first to respond. In Wood Village, 95% of emergency response calls are for medical or non-fire incidents.
The current emergeny response system is strained
Our current emergency response system is strained – emergency call volume has increased 30% between 2020 and 2024 – and doesn’t meet national standards for response times because it lacks adequate resources.
Types of Incidents & Response Standards
Cardiac Arrest
- 2 Fire Units
Traffic Accident with Victims Trapped
- 2 Engine Companies, 1 Truck Company, 1 Chief
Single Family Residential (House) Fire
- 4 Engine Companies, 1 Truck Company, 1 Chief
Multi-Family Residential (Apartment) Fire
- 5 Engine Companies, 2 Truck Companies, 1 Chief
Commercial Fire
- 5 Engine Companies, 2 Truck Companies, 1 Chief
Call Volume Increases Over Time
1992: Total call volume – 4,319
- Fire Calls 313
- EMS 3,087
- Other 919
2020: Total call volume – 16,817
- Fire Calls 620
- EMS 11,159
- Other 5,038
2024: Total call volume – 21,806
Property taxes alone no longer cover public safety costs
Your property taxes pay for public safety, including fire, police, and 9-1-1. This used to cover all public safety services and other expenses, but now property taxes alone no longer cover public safety costs. This, along with rising costs of the services, make it difficult for the City to afford them.
Costs for fire and emergency services are rising and the property taxes the City has available to pay for these services are not keeping pace. Currently, the City collects $3.12 per $1,000 of assessed value annually from every property, totaling $1.1 million. Right now, between fire and emergency services, police, and 911, all of those funds and then some are being spent on public safety.
Seconds matter in an emergency
Many Wood Village neighborhoods are 8-10 minutes away from the nearest fire station. A few minutes can be a matter of life or death with certain health conditions.
A levy can bridge the gap in Wood Village
The City is considering a levy to address these issues. The resources from a levy could help fund a new station in Wood Village, which would reduce response times by an average of 4 minutes. After careful consideration and conversations with our community, the City will not consider placing a levy on the ballot any sooner than May 2027.
Passing a local option levy would bridge the gap between what the City currently collects in property taxes, and what the City must pay to continue providing fire and emergency services. A potential benefit in passing a levy or in joining a fire district would be the addition of a new station located between Wood Village and Fairview, which would reduce response times to five minutes or less.
So how did we get here?
Wood Village — along with neighboring communities — is experiencing increasing demand for fire and emergency medical services at the same time that costs continue to rise. However, the funding structure that supports these services has not kept pace. For that reason, the City is considering referring a levy to voters to address this gap.
More 911 calls are coming in than ever
- Emergency call volume has increased 30% between 2020 and 2024
- 95% of emergency response calls are for medical or non-fire incidents, which require more specialized equipment and staffing
Slower response times
- Many Wood Village neighborhoods are 8–10 minutes away from the nearest fire station
- Faster response saves lives—especially for cardiac arrests, fires, and serious accidents
Rising costs of public safety
Fire & EMS costs are increasing across Oregon due to:
- Healthcare and retirement costs
- Equipment and training needs
- Increased and changed demand
Outdated funding structure
- Property taxes no longer cover the cost of fire, EMS, police, and 911
- Between fire and emergency medical services, police, and 911, all of the funds the City collects from property taxes and then some are being spent on public safety
So what will a levy cost you?
The City has spent over two years reviewing service models and financial options to sustain these services for the community. While the City continues to work toward a fire district model, which would add a permanent new fire station nearby, this levy would be a critical piece of bridge funding.
The levy would cost $1.35 per $1,000 of assessed value. In most cases, assessed value is lower than market value.
Below is an explanation on how this cost could impact different types of homes.
In Wood Village, the average taxable assessed value is $221,361
The average homeowner would see a $300 a year increase or about $25 a month
If you’d like to estimate how much the $1.35 per $1,000 TAV would effect your property taxes, use the steps and example from the images below.
Property owners will see the levy costs on their property tax bill, not renters
Rent increases on units older than 15 years are capped at 7% plus inflation (max. of 10%), so landlords can only pass along the cost of property taxes within those limits
Newer units have no cap, meaning landlords could pass along the full cost of property tax increases to renters
Treated as personal property, with the first $50,000 in value exempted from property taxes
Manufactured home park property owners will see the levy costs on their property tax bill
There are rent caps for manufactured home owners who rent their space. In parks with fewer than 30 spaces, the space rent is capped at 10%.
In parks with 30 or more spaces, the rent cap is 6%. Park owners can only pass along the cost of property taxes within those limits
Frequently Asked Questions
Click to expand the tabs below to see responses to recent FAQs from community members.
Yes. If passed, the levy would cost $1.35 per $1,000 of assessed value. In most cases, assessed value is lower than market value. The levy would cost the average household approximately $300 more a year or $25 a month.
Assessed value is the value used to calculate your property taxes. It is:
- Set by County assessors
- Limited by Oregon law on how fast it can increase
- Often much lower than market value
There are two ways to look up your assessed value. Remember, you’re taxed on the lower of Assessed Value or Market Value.
County Tax Assessors Office
The first is through the County Tax Assessors Office at https://multcoproptax.com. Please note, address formatting is very specific for this site.
Visit Assessors Office
PortlandMaps
The second, which may be more user friendly, is www.portlandmaps.com. You can either enter an address, or search on a map.
Visit PortlandMapsNo sooner than May 2027.
The City of Wood Village contracts with the City of Gresham for these services and has for decades. In 2025, the contract expired, and the cost of the new contract represented a significant increase. Without funding from this levy, the city will be forced to make a series of increasingly difficult decisions. Funding reserves will expire, leading the city to begin reducing access to services. That could include not maintaining parks, cancelling community events, and reducing staffing for code enforcement, and increasing fees for other services like planning and permits.
Fire and emergency medical services in Wood Village are provided through Gresham Fire, through a contract between the City of Wood Village and the City of Gresham. These services include:
- Providing first response for a medical emergency
- Fighting fires in our community
- Rescuing people during a serious emergency incident
You will never receive a bill from the fire department or City related to a fire or medical response. Our ambulance service, however, is a private company, AMR, overseen by the County. You may receive a bill from the ambulance company for medical transport. The City does not bill or receive those funds.
The problem Wood Village is facing is not unique, and is shared by our neighboring cities of Gresham, Troutdale, and Fairview. Wood Village has been working in partnership with Gresham, Troutdale, and Fairview to pursue a regional option – ideally a fire district – for fire and emergency services.
Follow along the negotiation timeline using these supporting documents. The timeline moves from oldest to most current.
Description
September 26, 2024: Gresham proposes new contract for full cost recovery based on cost per population
Supporting Document
Read the proposal (PDF)December 19, 2024: Three cities offer a counter proposal to keep the current base allocation plus an option to approximate the Gresham Public Safety levy
January 16, 2025: Gresham offers original proposal with one-year phase in period
February 13, 2025: Three cities agree but ask for a three-year phase in period, using a different cost modifier to gradually reach the full funding level
March 19, 2025: Gresham provides their “Last & Final” offer which included a two-year phase-in period starting at a higher rate than the one proposed by the three cities
April 7, 2025: Three cities receive a proposal from Clackamas Fire District #1
April 9, 2025: Three cities hold a joint work session of the three City Councils, after which, Gresham asks for a one-year contract extension.
May 2025: The three-city financial impact report analyzing alternative approaches for funding fire and emergency services is completed
May 13, 2025: Gresham and Wood Village signed a one-year contract extension with an effective date of July 1, 2025
June 2025: The three-city fire and emergency services feasibility study is completed
June 2025: Gresham completes the Gresham Fire District Financial Analysis Study
August 26, 2025: Gresham City Council agrees to explore a four-city fire district model
November 13, 2025: Wood Village hold its first Community Conversation about a potential levy for fire and emergency services
November 17, 2025: Wood Village hold its first Community Conversation for Spanish speakers about a potential levy for fire and emergency services
December 10, 2025: Wood Village, Troutdale, and Fairview sign a five-year contract with Gresham for fire and emergency services effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031
January 21, 2026: Wood Village holds its third Community Conversation about a potential levy for fire and emergency services
Have questions?
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