FFPD October board meeting

The Falcon Fire Protection District held its regular board meeting Oct. 15. All board members were present, including Richard Shearer, legal counsel for the district.Public commentKenneth Perry and Tiffany Bacon represented homeowners in the Feathergrass subdivision located between Constitution Avenue and Marksheffel and Peterson roads. Bacon said they are ìconcerned about the level of response and serviceî from FFPD, compared to the Cimarron Hills Fire Protection District, which is closer to the subdivision. Bacon said a citizenís group has been established to create a petition for exclusion from the FFPD.Perry said he is concerned because FFPD is coming up for an ISO (Insurance Services Office) review, and ISO ratings for Feathergrass would increase from five to 10 because there would no longer be a fire station within 5 miles. (See sidebar for more information on FFPD ISO schedule and ratings.) He spoke with ISO and was told that mutual aid agreements didnít count toward the districtís rating.Chief Trent Harwig said Perryís information was incorrect. Mutual aid is specifically included in the districtís most recent ISO rating.Bacon and Perry asked about the process for exclusion from the fire district. Perry said his understanding was that the Equity Group gave the FFPD board a formal resolution for exclusion.Richard Shearer, district legal counsel, said, ìWe sent them a letter that said, ëThis is what you need to do,í and we havenít seen anything in response.î He said state statutes would be followed for the exclusion process. ìAs soon as we receive the petition, we will process it as you would any other exclusion petition. (It) needs to be done in accordance with the law.îPerry said about 200 Feathergrass homeowners ìhave elected to sign a petition to exclude from Falcon Fire Protection District.î He also said they ìwere in the process of having it (petition) drafted up.îTreasurerís reportHarwig reported the fiscal year is 75 percent complete as of Sept. 30. The district has collected 96 percent of its budgeted revenues for 2014, and overall expenditures are at 74 percent. The district is currently 1 percent under budget. A review of remaining expenditures indicates the district will end the year a half-percent under budget.ESA agreement The board voted unanimously to approve the most recent draft of the Emergency Services Agency agreement for countywide ambulance service and send it to the ESA board for final approval.Cistern at Black Forest ReserveThe board discussed progress on the cistern being installed at Black Forest Reserve. The district has received a final legal description of the proposed easement for the cistern. A proposed Easement and Maintenance Agreement was received from district legal counsel. Bids for the cistern and installation have also been received.2015 preliminary budgetIn accordance with state statutes, the public can submit comments about the 2015 preliminary budget until it is finalized on Dec. 15. Highlights of the proposed budget:

• The last lease-purchase payment for Station 1 will be made in January 2015.
• A separate Capital Projects Fund account has been established within the budget for the purpose of saving money toward major expenses such as replacement of aging apparatus and construction of new fire stations.
• Funding was designated for a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which will make the district and subdivisions eligible for certain wildfire mitigation grants.
• District employees will receive a cost of living increase, with additional increases to officer ranks to bring them more in line with neighboring district pay scales.

District 4 fire stationRelated to budget discussions, the board addressed planning for a new fire station in FFPDís District 4, located on the southwestern edge of Falconís response area, which has been part of FFPD since the department was formed in 1975. Harwig said growth in that area, particularly in the past 10 years, necessitates a station; but he also pointed out that the area must be able to sustain it. District 4 represents only 3.8 of FFPDís 127 square miles but generates 22 percent of FFPDís calls and 20 percent of revenue. Falconís response times to District 4 averages more than 12 minutes, but Falconís mutual aid partners (Colorado Springs, Cimarron Hills and Black Forest) also respond to that area.ìISO does recognize Colorado Springs, Cimarron Hills and Black Forest as automatic aid because we have those agreements with them,î Harwig said, adding that ISO ratings for District 4 will not change as long as those agreements remain in place.ìWe are at that point where that station needs to be built,î Harwig said. Recently, the district has been receiving ìsignificantî subdivision plans from that area, including preliminary or final plats for 549 single-family homes in four subdivisions this month alone. Kupferer noted that a station would already have been built in District 4, if not for the recession and its effect on growth. Harwig added, ìHad it not been for that mill levy increase, we wouldnít have what we have today. Our assessed value is still less than 2009 standards.îThe Claremont Ranch developers dedicated land for a fire station when the district is ready to build one. However, FFPD will have to construct, equip and staff the station, as well as pay for maintenance, utilities, etc. Harwig estimated salaries for three personnel 24/7 would cost the district about $526,000 annually.Harwig said existing residents in subdivisions like Feathergrass, Claremont Ranch and Antelope Ridge have been waiting for a new fire station in that area, and an exclusion would only further delay the process. ìThat exclusion is a disservice to the existing citizens, not a service to them,î he said.The board also discussed the tax increase Feathergrass residents would face by becoming part of the Cimarron Hills Fire Protection District. County records show CHFPD has a 14.39 mill levy, which is the highest fire district mill levy in the county. By comparison, the FFPD mill levy is 8.612.