The Falcon Fire Protection District held a special board meeting Jan. 24. All directors were present, along with Richard Shearer, legal counsel for the district.The directors discussed a proposal submitted by Paul Hanley, senior vice president with George K. Baum & Co., to help FFPD solicit public input and communicate with citizens regarding a possible mill levy increase. The increase would improve the fire districtís service to its citizens by funding its own ambulance service and increasing firefighter staffing levels. (For further information about ambulance service in the Falcon area, see this monthís FFPD column.)The fire districtís current revenue is not sufficient to support an ambulance service or increase the number of full-time firefighters on duty every day. Fire Chief Trent Harwig said the district receives $362,612 per mill at the current assessed residential rate. The districtís current 8.612 mill levy is among the lowest mill levies of comparable fire districts in El Paso County. Current FFPD firefighter staffing is three full-time firefighters per shift at two stations and two full-time firefighters per shift at one station, with part-time and reserve firefighters filling in where needed. The district has budgeted for hiring an additional full-time firefighter later this year.Harwig said that increasing the mill levy by 5.5 mills would bring in an additional $1,994,000 per year. The increase would allow the district to hire enough qualified personnel to staff two ambulances full time with an EMT and a paramedic each, increase firefighter staffing to four full-time personnel per shift at each of the districtís three staffed stations; and hire an EMS division chief.The mil levy increase would cost a homeowner about $118 on a $300,000 home at todayís assessed values and rates, Harwig estimated. If passed by voters, the new mill levy would take effect in January 2019, and the district would start receiving the additional revenue in April 2019.Harwig said these preliminary numbers only relate to personnel, not the apparatus, equipment, supplies, maintenance, training or insurance necessary for operating an ambulance service. He said the ambulance could generate $500,000 to $600,000 through transport fees, but that is only a rough estimate. Director Joan Hathcock noted that district residents or their insurance companies would still pay for ambulance transports in addition to the additional property taxes. Harwig said that district residents will pay for ambulance transports anyway, whether they pay AMR or FFPD. However, the revenue generated by district-owned ambulances will support the fire districtís own services and staff.The district is pursuing, and has a good chance of being awarded, a state matching grant for one ambulance, Harwig said. The ambulance being considered by the district will cost about $212,000, which excludes equipment such as the specialized cot, cardiac monitor, radios, medical supplies, etc. The grant would cover 50 percent of the cost of just the ambulance. The districtís long-term plans include purchasing a second ambulance in 2019.Another reason the board is considering a mill levy increase is future reduced revenue because of the combined limitations of the Gallagher amendment, which was intended to maintain a balance between commercial and residential property taxes, and TABOR (Taxpayerís Bill of Rights). Harwig reported that the Special District Association of Colorado has already alerted its members that residential property assessment rates are expected to adjust again under the Gallagher amendment. This means that although property values are expected to rise, the rate at which they are assessed will adjust from the current 7.2 percent to an estimated 6.5 percent.The services provided by George K. Baum & Co. are estimated to cost $42,300, which includes consulting fees, mailings, polling, discussions with the public, etc. Harwig said only $10,000 was originally budgeted in 2018 to support a possible mill levy increase. However, $30,000 that was also budgeted in 2018 for mobile data computers was not needed because the computers were paid for at the end of 2017 from the 2017 budget. Therefore, the 2018 budget can be adjusted to use those funds for the consultant.Board president Dan Kupferer said, ìIt makes sense to hire someone with a good track record Ö rather than wing it on our own.î Hanley has assisted with 300 special district mill levy votes, of which 299 were successful.The board moved into executive session to discuss the contract. Afterward, in public session, the board voted unanimously to accept the Public Policy Services Engagement Agreement from George K. Baum & Co., subject to service clarification by legal counsel and changing the contract date to Jan. 24.
