Voters to consider new fire district in Douglas County

The briefing

Douglas County voters in the Rimrock Meadows community will decide in November whether to establish Rimrock Meadows Fire District 9 and elect its first fire commissioners. The homeowners association community about 16 miles northwest of Ephrata covers 29 square miles with roughly 2,100 parcels but only 12 to 15 full-time residents. HOA board member Gerald Dotson said repeated wildfire evacuations drove the petition, and a special candidate filing period runs Aug. 24-26.