To the Residents of Elk Creek Fire Protection District
This election is about the safety and resiliency of our community.
The career and volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and personnel of Elk Creek FPD (ECFPD) are clearly telling the community that additional resources are required to face current and future demands. The personnel of ECFPD respond when we need them; let’s provide them with the resources they need to respond to us.
What’s their recommendation? Unification! The same recommendation was made in the Triton Report and is addressed in the ECFPD Strategic Plan. Other Fire Protection Districts (FPD) adjacent to us, and across Colorado are taking the same or similar steps to meet current demands and prepare for their futures
This isn’t some “crisis" made up by our local FPDs. There is significant documentation that declining volunteerism is a problem across the state and the nation. News
What’s the proposal:
- Six more career Fire/EMS personnel staffing an additional Fire Station 24x7.
- This larger set of resources reduces reliance on mutual aid and improves response times.
- A unified command and control system that also reduces response times and provides the ability for a coordinated large-scale response to wildfires
- A larger combined budget dedicated to Fire, EMS, and Wildland Services
- A larger combined mitigated wildland area to reduce wildland-fire risk
All of this is facilitated at a Mill Levy below the 16 Mills requested in 2023. Is there a possibility of the Mill Levy being adjusted in the future? Yes. The Conifer Fire Department (CFD) needs the ability to adjust its Mill Levy to ensure the FPD's operating requirements can be met. Being financially sound is the foundation of a strong fire protection district.
There are limits to how much the CFD Board can adjust the Mill Levy without going to a vote, and HB 24B-1001 limits the total increase in revenue CFD can receive from property taxes to 10.5% over a two-year period.
The State and the County play a much larger role in property taxes than any FPD, which is why we need this small amount of Mill Levy adjustability: to ensure a strong Fire Protection District for a Safe, Resilient Community.
Please don’t be distracted by extraneous, unsubstantiated arguments that don’t address the challenges Elk Creek Fire Protection District faces providing us with lifesaving services.
Vote Al Leo for Elk Creek Fire Protection District Board of Directors on May 6th.