Fire District 13 gains funds from Tribe

Fire District 13 commissioners approved an agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community for $250,000 for the district’s 2018 operating budget at their April 26 meeting. The Tribe had approved the request in November. The funds, from the Swinomish Trust Improvement Use and Occupancy Taxes, are collected from rents on reservation land “pursuant to assessments in 2018 of taxes owing under the Trust Improvement Tax,” the agreement states.

The amount is double the 2017 agreement. Fire District 13 has been unable to assess property tax on reservation land since 2014 because of federal court...