Published 10:30 am Friday, May 1, 2026 Three fire levies will be on the May 19 primary election ballot, for rural fire districts: Sisters-Camp Sherman, Cloverdale and Alfalfa. The tax dollars raised by increasing the levy would be used to fund staffing and operations in each district for the next five years. All three fire districts cover rural areas and may be the only urgent care option in the area. These districts haven’t updated their staffing in years, despite an increase in calls as the region’s population grows. Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District has 800 square miles of coverage, mostly across rural land, said Jack McGowan, vice president of the board of directors. The district is proposing a five-year levy at a increase of 70 cent per every $1,000 of assessed property value levy on the ballot to fund staffing. The district needs more firefighter paramedics after seeing a 64% increase in calls in the past 10 years, said McGowan.…