SeaTac City Council members finally decided on June 26 to formally ask Tukwila officials if that city wants to study merging fire services.

"We've already run this by the (Tukwila) council and they've already said yes," Tukwila Mayor Steve Mullet reported in a Times/News interview.

Both councils would have to approve the consulting firm, scope of work and cost of the study.

Mullet estimated each city would contribute $20,000.

"That is an acceptable ballpark for us," Mullet added. "This wouldn't be a matter of taking 10 minutes to plug figures into a computer and issuing a report."

But Mullet emphasized that Tukwila's willingness to do the study doesn't mean city officials would agree to a merger if that were the consultant's recommendation.

"The question is would a joint department be more efficient? Is there a better way to do it?" Mullet noted.

A study would provide facts for voters in both cities who would have to approve a merger.

The Tukwila mayor said the situation is different than in Auburn, Algona and Pacific, where the fire departments merged. Algona was paying Auburn to provide fire service while Pacific had a very small department.

"Here, we have two cities with two mature fire departments," Mullet explained.

SeaTac council members have been struggling with where to place fire stations and whether to merge with other fire departments.

SeaTac Mayor Gene Fisher has argued that emergencies such as terrorist attacks and earthquakes must be dealt with regionally.

He has also pointed out that the city's Riverton Heights station is within a few miles of Tukwila and King County stations.

Study opponents contend the council has already decided where to site stations.

Fire Chief Bob Meyer said SeaTac has conducted two in-house and two outside fire studies since incorporation.

Lawmakers then voted 4-2 to inquire if Tukwila is interested in a joint study.

Mayor Fisher and council members Don DeHan, Tony Anderson and Chris Wythe voted in favor. Deputy Mayor Ralph Shape and Councilwoman Terry Anderson voted against. Councilman Joe Brennan, the study's most vocal critic, was absent.

Terry Anderson said the council should discuss issues raised in a letter from firefighters' union president John Gallup concerning a merger.

The study's costs also should be considered during the budget process, according to Anderson.

"We are in the position of cutting things and the mayor wants a balanced budget," she said.

Fisher countered that the budget sets aside $40,000 to audit the city's finances so council members should be willing to allocate $20,000 to study the city's fire services for the next 20 years.