The Friends of Elk Creek is ramping up its campaign to help educate residents about a question on the November ballot that will pump funds into the Elk Creek Fire Department.
The question, which will be on the Jefferson County coordinated ballot, will ask voters to increase taxes by $482,138 in 2014 and by whatever tax revenues are generated by an ad valorem property tax rate of 2.5 mills to purchase two fire tankers and one fire engine. The 2.5-mill rate will expire in 10 years. It will raise the total mill rate to 7.415, which is less than the 9.35-mill rate in Evergreen.
Proponents of the tax hike say the owner of a $300,000 home who currently pays $9.78 per month for fire protection and ambulance services would pay $14.76 a month should the measure be approved, an increase of $4.98 per month.
Elk Creek Fire district covers about 98 square miles and includes Aspen Park, Conifer, Pine Junction and parts of Pine, Evergreen and Bailey.
It serves residents in Jefferson and Park counties. The population of the district is an estimated 15,000 residents.
Jennifer Eleniewski, chair of the Friends of Elk Creek Fire committee, said, “It is a really important issue up here.” Eleniewski said tax-hike proposals have been unsuccessfully floated before — in 2006 and 2010.
“Compared to our neighboring fire departments, we are one of the lowest-funded departments,” she said.
Michael Davis, an Elk Creek firefighter and homeowner, said he has been told by insurance professionals that if Elk Creek Fire Protection District cannot replace its old water tankers and the district loses its tanker credit, property owners’ insurance rates will increase by between 20 percent and 50 percent depending on the location of the property.
“As a homeowner this concerns me greatly,” Davis said.
Michael Bartlett, a Conifer business owner and former firefighter, is critical of the fire department.
“My main objections to the current tax increase proposal are related to the lack of transparency and accountability of ECFPD,” Bartlett said.
He said an audit showed an increase in administration spending of more than $120,000 between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2011.
In response to Bartlett’s comments, Chief Bill McLaughlin said, “That increase was not $120,000. The 2013 administration budget is slightly higher than 2011, due to breaking out benefit costs from where they were previously lumped together.
“The ‘administration’ increase is not administrative, but is money spent on personnel assigned to fight out-of-district fires. It is 100 percent reimbursed, and, in fact, the district comes out ahead on that assistance.”
Eleniewski said more information about the ballot question
will be presented during an 11 a.m.-to-4 p.m. event Sept. 15 at Conifer High School, 10441 Highway 73; at a 7 p.m. Sept. 18 public meeting at West Jefferson Middle School, 9449 S. Barnes Ave., Conifer; and at an Oct. 2 meeting at Conifer High School, time to be announced.
For more information, go to on.fb.me/ 14r5OrK.
Karen Groves: 303-954-2303 or kgroves@denverpost.com
