Understanding Hailey's Fire District Annexation Proposal
Your Fire Service. Your Decision.
This page provides factual information about the November 3, 2026 election. It does not advocate for or against the measure.
On November 3, 2026, Hailey voters decide whether to annex city property into the Blaine County South Fire Protection District, now operating as Blaine County Fire & Rescue (BCFR). Below: the ballot question itself, what it would cost, how the legal process works, who would govern the service, and what changes under either outcome.
Fire operations today, including staffing, response times, service maps, and call data, are covered on the BCFR fire operations page(opens in new tab).
What are voters deciding?
The question is whether the City of Hailey should annex, or join, its fire service into the area's Fire Protection District. Approval would shift responsibility for managing and funding Hailey's fire service to the District, made up of Blaine County South and Ketchum Fire District and now operating as Blaine County Fire & Rescue.
Then, today, and the decision ahead
Then, volunteer response. For most of Hailey's history, fire service ran on volunteers and paid-on-call firefighters. A call came in, and responders drove to the station from wherever they were before heading out with the truck.
Today, regional operations, one step from full alignment. BC South and Ketchum Fire District have already combined into a single Fire Protection District, operating today as Blaine County Fire & Rescue. Hailey runs day-to-day operations jointly with that District, staffing stations around the clock and sharing personnel, equipment, and training, but Hailey's fire department is still a separate City agency, not yet part of the District. Working together day to day isn't the same as annexation.
Partnership in action: approximately 40 firefighters from Blaine County Fire & Rescue, the City of Sun Valley Fire Department, and North Blaine County Fire District worked together to contain an August 1 structure fire in Hailey.
November 3, the decision. Voters decide whether to make that joint arrangement permanent by folding Hailey into the District. A no vote keeps Hailey outside the District.
Why vote on this if the agencies already work together?
Because the current joint-operations setup wasn't built to last. It gives Hailey 24/7 staffed service today, but it isn't a long-term funding structure. Annexation would move Hailey into the District's permanent funding system.
If approved / if not approved
| If Annexation Is Approved | If Annexation Is Not Approved |
| Hailey becomes part of the Fire Protection District. | Hailey stays outside the Fire Protection District. |
| The transition takes effect October 1, 2027, with the first related property-tax payments expected in January 2028. Because joint operations are already running, residents likely won't notice much immediate change day to day. | The partner agencies are helping cover the cost of Hailey's 24/7 joint operations through FY27. Fire and finance leaders have said that arrangement can't continue without more revenue from Hailey. Hailey is expected to move back to a volunteer/paid-on-call model in FY28 while a longer-term funding fix is worked out. Mutual aid with neighboring agencies continues either way. |
| 24/7 staffing, already running under the temporary joint model, continues as part of the District. | The long-term staffing model for Hailey's fire service stays a City decision. |
| The District's elected Board of Commissioners oversees policy, budget, and long-term decisions. | The City has to figure out a long-term service and funding solution once the current transitional arrangement ends. |
| Fire service is funded mainly through the District's property-tax levy. | Hailey remains responsible for how it funds fire service, same as today. |
What would annexation put in place?
- Hailey keeps 24/7 staffing, replacing the old volunteer model.
- Firefighters and equipment coordinate across the whole region.
- Training, specialized equipment, and other resources get shared District-wide.
- Long-term oversight and funding move to the Fire Protection District (BC South Fire and Rescue plus Ketchum Fire and EMS).
Would the fire station stay open?
Yes. The City recently put more than $100,000 into station upgrades, including improvements aimed at supporting round-the-clock use, and fire leadership has said the station stays open because of where it sits within the regional service area.
What happens to the station, trucks, and gear?
The City keeps ownership of the fire station and makes it available to the District under an agreement. Trucks and equipment are expected to transfer to the District rather than be sold. Final terms will show up in the actual annexation agreement.
Understanding the cost
There are two different ways to pay for Hailey's fire service on the table here, and that's exactly why the two tax numbers below don't compare cleanly.
What Hailey pays now
Hailey's fire budget runs about $1.14 million a year:
- Property tax: about $385,000
- Local option tax and other City revenue: about $758,000
- Total FY26/27 Hailey Fire budget: $1,143,180
That works out to roughly $13.95 per $100,000 of taxable value for the property-tax-funded share of Hailey Fire. That's not the full cost of the department; local option tax and other City revenue cover the rest.
What annexation is estimated to cost
Current estimates put the property tax revenue the District would collect from properties inside Hailey at about $1.3 million. Unlike the City, a Fire District can't tap Hailey's local option tax. Property tax is essentially its only funding source.
Based on 2026 tax data, that comes out to an estimated $50.23 per $100,000 of taxable value, after the homeowners' exemption. It's an estimate. The real number depends on the District's eventual budget, how property values move, and applicable Idaho property-tax law, and it can shift year to year.
So what do the two numbers actually mean?
They're not two prices for the same service. The $13.95 figure covers only the property-tax slice of Hailey's current, partly volunteer department. The $50.23 estimate reflects what it costs, through property tax alone, to fund a fully staffed regional system. Don't read the jump from one number to the other as your total tax bill going up by that amount.
Would the City cut what it collects for fire service now?
Yes, by law. Once the District takes over fire service, the City has to reduce its property-tax collection in the first year. Roughly $383,000–$385,000 of Hailey Fire's current budget comes from City property tax today, tied to that $13.95 figure above.
Figures above are estimates based on FY26/27 budget data and 2026 taxable-value estimates, and should be updated if final consolidation or taxable-value assumptions change.
Who decides, and who represents Hailey?
If annexation passes, the District's elected Board of Commissioners takes over policy, budget, and long-term decisions for Hailey's fire service. Until the November 2027 general election, Hailey is represented by the current eight-member board. After that election, the board drops to five members, one per geographic subdistrict.
If annexation fails, those decisions, including how Hailey staffs and funds its department long-term, stay with the City.
How response actually works under each model
Volunteer/paid-on-call: 911 call, then home or work, then travel to the station, then prep, then on the road.
24/7 staffed: 911 call, straight to prep and on the road from the station.
Skipping the drive to the station is the whole difference. Could response slow down if annexation fails? Possibly. Volunteer and paid-on-call responders still need to reach the station first, and that adds time before a response begins. How much depends on where the call is, what kind of emergency it is, and who's available right then.
For the numbers behind current response times, see the BCFR fire operations page.
Frequently asked questions:
Hailey voters will decide whether the City of Hailey should annex, or join, its fire service with the greater-area Fire Protection District. If approved, the Fire District, Blaine County Fire & Rescue, made up of BC South and Ketchum Fire District, would become responsible for managing and funding Hailey's fire service.
Joint operations are already providing Hailey with 24/7 staffed fire service as part of a regional response system. However, the current arrangement was not designed as a permanent way to manage and pay for these services. Annexation would bring Hailey into the District's funding system and create a long-term way to manage and pay for fire service.
If annexation is approved, the Fire District would become responsible for decisions about Hailey's fire service. The District's elected Board of Commissioners would oversee policies, budgets, and long-term fire-service decisions. Hailey would initially be represented by the current eight-member Fire District Board until the November 2027 general election. After that, the District Board would have five members, with one commissioner representing each geographic area, or subdistrict.
Based on 2026 tax data, the estimated Fire District property tax would be about $50.23 per $100,000 of taxable property value. For comparison, about $13.95 per $100,000 of taxable property value currently goes toward the portion of Hailey Fire paid for through City property taxes. This is not the total cost of Hailey Fire. The City also uses local option tax and other revenues to pay for fire service. Future District property tax rates will depend on the District's budget, property values, and Idaho law.
Yes. When responsibility for fire service transfers to the District, the City is required under state law to reduce its property-tax collections in the first year. About $383,000–$385,000 of Hailey Fire's current budget is paid for through City property taxes. That equals about $13.95 per $100,000 of taxable property value using the current calculation.
Hailey would remain outside the Fire Protection District. The partner agencies are helping cover the cost of Hailey's 24/7 joint operations through FY27. Fire and finance leaders have said this funding arrangement cannot continue long term without additional revenue from Hailey. Hailey is expected to return to a volunteer/paid-on-call model in FY28 while another long-term funding solution is developed. Mutual aid with neighboring fire agencies would continue. Hailey remains responsible for how it funds fire service, same as today.
Hailey would become part of the Fire Protection District. The Fire District would become responsible for managing and funding Hailey's fire service. The planned transition would take effect October 1, 2027, with the first related property-tax payments expected in January 2028. Because joint operations are already underway, residents may notice relatively little immediate change in day-to-day fire service.
They could. With 24/7 staffing, firefighters are already at the station and ready to respond. Under a volunteer/paid-on-call model, firefighters may need to travel to the station before responding with a fire truck. This can add time before a response begins. Actual response times depend on the location and type of emergency and the crews available at the time.
Historically, Hailey relied heavily on volunteers and paid-on-call firefighters who generally had to travel to the station before responding with a fire truck. Today, joint operations provide 24/7 staffing in Hailey. If annexation is approved, Hailey would continue to have 24/7 staffing as part of the regional fire service.
Yes. Fire leadership has stated that the Hailey fire station would remain open and staffed. The City recently invested more than $100,000 in improvements to the station, including improvements supporting 24/7 use. Fire leadership has also identified the station as necessary because of its location within the regional service area.
The City is expected to continue owning the Hailey fire station and make it available for use by the Fire District through an agreement. Fire trucks and equipment are expected to transfer to the District rather than be sold. Final terms will be included in the Hailey agreement.
A few pieces of the final annexation agreement, including exactly how the fire station and equipment transfer works and how the City's required tax reduction gets structured. This page will be updated once those are finalized.
Public meetings
Have questions about Hailey's fire annexation election? Public information meetings will cover the proposal, process, costs, service information, and both possible outcomes.
October 8, 2026 — time and location to be announced
(Accessibility information and Spanish-language accommodations will be posted here.)
Before you vote
Review this page, the BCFR operations page, and official election instructions. Confirm voter registration, absentee ballot options, polling location, and election-day hours through the official election information page.
Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
This page provides factual information about the November 3, 2026 election. It does not advocate for or against the measure. For fire operations, staffing, response times, and coverage-area maps, see the BCFR fire operations page.
Your Fire Service. Your Decision.
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