Can other cities or fire district’s join an existing RFA? What is the process?

Cities or Fire Districts can join an existing RFA through a process called “annexation.”  Annexation requires revision of the RFA Plan describing how the additional agency (city or fire district) would be served by the RFA; then, both the RFA and the agency proposing to annex must agree to the revised plan.   After that, voters in the agency proposing to annex must approve the annexation.  A simple majority vote is required to approve the annexation. This is the process that will be used for the potential annexation of Arlington in to the NCRFA. If the City Council and NCRFA Governing Board reach agreement on a revised RFA Plan, the City Council and NCRFA Governing Board will then submit the annexation measure to the voters of Arlington.  The annexation must then be approved by a majority of Arlington voters. The City of Stanwood and NCRFA agreed to an annexation process in 2017; Stanwood voters approved the annexation of the City into NCRFA by a vote of 83.4% in favor at the November 2018 general election.

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1. What is a Regional Fire Authority (RFA)?
2. Who else has created a RFA?
3. How is a RFA created?
4. Can other cities or fire district’s join an existing RFA? What is the process?
5. Why is the City of Arlington considering annexing into the NCRFA?
6. How will fire and emergency medical services change if the City voters agree to annex into NCRFA?
7. What types of staffing and program partnerships exist today between Arlington and NCRFA?
8. When will the annexation proposal come before Arlington voters? When would the annexation take effect?
9. How much will it cost Arlington taxpayers to be part of the NCRFA?
10. How is NCRFA funded and how does this differ from the current funding for fire and emergency medical services in Arlington?
11. How will the City of Arlington be represented on the NCRFA governance board?
12. Does the firefighters' union support the RFA?
13. What happens if the RFA doesn’t pass?