Q&A WITH SAMANTHA BABICH.

• Author: Mucha, Mike
• Position: IN PRACTICE: INTERVIEW

Mike Mucha, GFOA's deputy executive director, spoke with Samantha Babich, the chief administration officer for the Renton Regional Fire Authority, about a career in fire service, what it's like to build a finance organization, the benefits of transparent budget decisions, and how governments can improve their recruiting.

Mike: Can you tell us about the Renton Regional Fire Authority and your role as chief administration officer?

Samantha: Renton Regional Fire Authority, or Renton RFA as we call it, was established in April of 2016 when Renton voters decided to separate fire protection and life safety services from the City of Renton and create a special purpose district. We originally began operations in July 2016. Our organization serves over 138,000 community members across 38 square miles of response area, just south of Seattle, and last year, we provided more than 23,000 emergency responses to the Renton community and surrounding jurisdictions. We have five divisions: response operations; EMS, health, and safety; the office of the fire marshal; support services; and administration. I joined the team two weeks after operations began and quickly took on the role of the chief administration officer over the administration division. As CAO, I oversee finance, IT, human resources, communications, and administrative support. Together, these sections conduct the behind-the-scenes work that makes the more visible aspects of the organization possible.

That's interesting that residents voted to create another government. It seems like we hear more focus around consolidation. What was the driver for creating a Regional Fire Authority?

We are seeing an increasing number of RFAs pop up across the state. One of the biggest benefits we have experienced is the ability to diversify our funding. Typically, fire departments under the umbrella of a city are beholden to property tax as a primary funding source. As you know, property taxes are based on assessed property values and can often contain revenue growth restrictions. In Washington, there is a one percent cap on property tax revenue growth year-over-year, which does not keep pace with inflation. When we branched out to form the RFA, the voters also approved what is called a fire benefit charge, or FBC, which allows for an additional funding source. Unlike property tax, a FBC is based on the size, risks, and resources needed to protect a structure, making it a much more predictable source of funding, and more directly related to our organization's cost to protect life and property. When you pair these two funding sources together, they provide more financial stability to the organization and more freedom to not only bolster existing services but truly assess and respond to the needs of the community.

Before accepting your current role in Renton, you worked for another fire service organization. Is there something specific about fire service that you enjoy?

When I was in college, I thought I wanted to be an attorney. I received a degree in justice, but I quickly realized that criminal justice was not for me. In the 90s I worked in the .com and technology sector in the Seattle area and found that to be very stimulating, but it lacked the public service element I was drawn to. In 2003, I moved to Idaho and was working on finishing the basement of my home. I reached out to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue to approve a permit that I needed to move forward. When I went in to discuss the permit, I also found out there was an opening for a business manager. I applied, got the job, and fell in love with the work and the people. My role was to manage the administrative support functions for the organization, but I really just became a part of the family. I enjoyed all of the challenges, the opportunities, and the success stories from my time there.

That's a great story, as other...