Officials from West Metro Fire Protection District say they’re still counting the record 30,000 ballots from May 6 elections and won’t have an official count until next week.
“We have 25 election judges counting ballots, and while it may seem like a slow process to some people, we just want to ensure we have an accurate count,” said West Metro spokeswoman Michelle French.
Voters cast ballots for four openings on the seven-member West Metro Board of Directors and were also voting for a property tax increase that would generate an additional $8.6 million per year for the district.
As of 4 p.m. on May 8, the measure was being defeated 7,523 to 7,127. The district is posting results every day at 4 p.m. until all ballots are counted.
“There was concern that there are West Metro employees counting the ballots, but that’s not accurate,” French said. “The election judges are not West Metro Fire employees. They are Jefferson County election judges.”
If the three-mill levy request is approved, owners of property valued at $300,000 would pay an extra $72 a year in taxes
s failed to rebound after the economic downtown.
Even after belt-tightening measures, West Metro officials said they have drawn all the money they can from reserve funds and will have to cut service if the proposal fails to pass.
The district collected $35.4 million in property tax revenue in 2013 and had a total budget of $48.1 million.
on the seven-member Board of Directors:
District 1
Cassie Stenstrom 7591
Fred Clifford 4553
District 2
Devin Howard 1447
Marta Murray 6923
Dan Smith 3711
District 3
Tony Gonzalez 5826
Joseph (Joe) Margotte 2113
Clyde Wadsworth 4041
District 5
Michael T. Munden 10526
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com
Updated May 9, 10 a.m. This article has been revised to reflect the following correction.. Originally, due to inaccurate information from a source, it was unclear who is counting votes. Jefferson County election judges are counting votes.
