> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bearlaketv.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Bear Lake Fire District Levy Fails a Second Time
- URL: https://www.bearlaketv.com/bear-lake-fire-district-levy-fails-nov-2026/
- Published: 2026-11-13T16:00:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-13T16:00:10.000Z
- Description: Bear Lake County voters turned down a permanent levy for the all-volunteer Bear Lake Fire District on Nov. 3, the second levy defeat this year.
- Author: Darren Eastman
- Tags: Bear Lake County, Public Safety, bearlaketv

Bear Lake County voters have turned down a permanent levy for the Bear Lake Fire District for the second time this year.

Official county results show the Nov. 3 measure failed 959 to 503, with 34.4 percent voting yes. Under Idaho law, a permanent override levy needs a two-thirds supermajority to pass. It would have raised up to $800,000 a year starting in 2027 to staff, equip, operate and maintain fire protection and emergency services, at an estimated $39 per $100,000 of taxable property value.

It was a scaled-back version of the levy voters rejected in the May 19 primary, which would have cost about $60 per $100,000 and drew 39 percent support.

The district says Bear Lake Fire is a 100 percent volunteer department covering a large rural area, with one full-time and one part-time staff member. On its levy information page, it says that without new funding it will keep operating on existing money, which it says isn't adequate and can lead to staffing challenges, deferred maintenance or service impacts.

Sources: Bear Lake County official election results (Nov. 3, 2026, updated Nov. 10); The News-Examiner and Preston Citizen via The Herald Journal (Nov. 8); Bear Lake Fire District levy information page (bearlakefire.org).