Mountain Fire Protection District in Colorado asks for voters to approve tax increase
It's a tough moment for the Mountain Fire Protection District in Colorado, which is now coming to voters asking them to approve a tax increase and procedure adjustment in order to keep operating at the high level its team currently works at.
Ballot issue A and B both aim at helping balance the fire department's growing cost to provide service, one through an increase from 9 Mills to 13 Mills, (an increase from around $18 per $100,000 assessed property value to $26 per $100,000) and to be able to circumvent HB 24B-1001, which caps property taxes at 5.25%.
Fire and EMS Chief for RWB Drew Hoehn said it's a conversation the board has been having for the last couple of years, but has been pushed into action due to moves from the state legislature, directly after the passage of the property tax law last year aimed at reducing costs for homeowners, but with the repercussions that come with reducing property tax funded entities, like schools or fire departments.
The Red White and Blue Fire Protection District outlines their position on the ballot measures, arguing that their team works hard to be qualified for the special challenges that come with working in Breckenridge and the surrounding Summit County. The team is wildland certified as well as trained for structure fires, a rare aspect, according to Hoehn. He believes the sacrifice homeowners make by chipping in to keep them operating at the level they are proud of, focusing on prevention instead of responding to disasters.
"We can certainly drill down our finances to a crisis situation, but it's going to impact services at a certain point in time," Hoehn said. "That's not who we are. We're a planning type organization."
Hoehn stopped short of using scare tactics to prove his point, but wanted to make it clear that the responsibilities of firefighters, particularly in their district, have only grown in the last 20 years, since the last time the district went to voters for help with finances.
"We're also doing things like responding, or training to respond to schools for active shooter incidents," Hoehn said. "Our fire apparatus carry ballistic gear on them now, bulletproof vests and helmets ... we've experienced a 13% increase in our health insurance for our people and so we're seeing those kind of impacts all across the board."
Still, this is not an ask for more "stuff," Hoehn said. It's about making sure they're staffed, prepared and well equipped to respond to emergencies, as well as getting to continue their prevention efforts, like the controlled burn in town just last week.
"We hope they notice that," Hoehn said, of voters. "And they recognize that really what we're asking is to continue that momentum, continue that trajectory and not find ourselves in a crisis situation."
