Concerning fire protection districts.

HB 2224 allows cities and towns in Washington to create fire protection districts with boundaries matching their city limits, subject to voter approval. It requires cities to include detailed financing plans in their proposals, showing how property taxes or special fees will be used and how they will impact existing city tax levies. For districts formed before July 1, 2026, cities must reduce their own property tax levies by the amount the new district imposes; for districts formed after that date, cities must stay within specific tax rate limits. The bill also mandates public hearings and specifies ballot language requirements for voter approval. This directly affects local governments creating districts and property owners through potential tax changes.