South County Fire approves new district map, placing Edmonds in vacant district
Published 1:58 pm Wednesday, September 2, 2026
EVERETT — After months of deliberation, the South County Fire Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a new district map Tuesday that includes the city of Edmonds.
The approved map will allow Edmonds to have representation on the board through an appointed commissioner by the end of October, with residents being able to vote for a commissioner to represent the district in the 2027 election.
Following the annexation of Edmonds into South County Fire in 2025, the board began a process to redraw its five commissioner districts to account for the 40,000 additional residents. The city is currently represented by a liaison who does not have voting power.
For many months, commissioners debated several different proposals. Much of the discussion centered around whether Edmonds should be in one district or split between the two. Commissioners were also concerned about being able to retain their current districts.
Last month, the board heard a new proposal that placed the entirety of Edmonds in District 4, which is currently vacant after former commissioner Micah Rowland resigned in August. The map also keeps commissioners in their current districts. The board approved this map Tuesday. A map is available on the South County Fire website.
“This makes good on our promise to the city of Edmonds in the annexation from last year in 2025 that we would redistrict,” Commission Chair Jim Kenny said. “We started in the first quarter of this year, and it has slowly moved along, and then there were some developments in the last six weeks that made for an interesting end to it in, I think, a really positive way.”
At an August board meeting, Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen expressed his support for placing Edmonds in District 4.
“I believe that earlier representation benefits not only Edmonds, but South County Fire as a whole,” he told the board. “Our communities are interconnected, and the decisions made by the commission affect all of us. Having an Edmonds representative at the table will provide an additional perspective, strengthen communication between the city and the fire district, and help ensure that the commission continues to hear directly from the communities it serves.”
The board also decided Tuesday to move forward with a plan to fill the vacancy. Applications were set to open Wednesday and close Sept. 23. The board plans to interview the final four candidates and make a final decision Oct. 6, with the new commissioner being sworn into office Oct. 13.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
