SPLIT THE BILL
Fire District Board of Directors Explores Sales Tax as a Sustainable Funding Option
Since 1972, Cimarron Hills residents have been footing the bill for ALL district Fire & EMS services through their property taxes.
Should you split the bill?
Did you know an estimated 20% of calls involve people who don’t live in our community?
A 1% sales tax could bring in 2+ million dollars annually to fund fire & EMS services (to include updated apparatus, equipment & facilities, quality training, and recruitment/ retention of the best personnel to serve our citizens.) This sales tax would be paid by EVERYONE who makes purchases at our large commercial production facilities or shops at our local businesses and restaurants. Sales tax lets property owners split the bill with others who are also using our fire & EMS services.
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We are a Community Centered FAMILY Department. This means when we sit down at the table to discuss our department budget, we are thinking about YOUR budget too.
- Decreasing funding. Changes to property tax law enacted by the Colorado General Assembly is diminishing property tax revenue which is relied on for ongoing operations, maintenance & administrative costs, as well as funding capital needs (apparatus, equipment, facilities...)
- Population. The population in and around our Community continues to grow, both residentially and commercially, resulting in increased call/incident volume.
- Staffing. Staffing levels need to increase to minimize reliance on mutual aid for calls. Back to back and overlapping calls have reached critical levels, hitting 30%, resulting in a dependence on mutual aid from outside agencies, increasing response time to emergency incidents. Agency partners are experiencing growth as well, resulting in an increased reliance on us for mutual aid.
- Apparatus. Our vehicle fleet is aging and maintenance costs are rising. Replacement is becoming critical.
- Facilities. Renovations to our 1974 Fire Station (originally designed to house 6) or a new facility is needed to house our current (8) and potential increased line staff
- Recruitment/Rention. We must stay competitive with pay and benefits to retain and attract the best employees
Since inception in 1972, primary funding for the Cimarron Hills Fire Protection District comes from PROPERTY TAX. District homeowners pay for the services rendered to anyone in or passing through the district.
In 2022, ambulance tranport was incorporated to address lengthly response times from private County-contracted services. Ambulance transport is not, and was never intended to be, a source of revenue for the district. It was brought in for the benefit of our residents with a focus on breaking even against associated costs.
In 2020, the CHFD Wildland program was introduced to provide invaluable training/experience for our firefighters, while providing critically needed support for wildland fires and natural disasters. This program is self-sustaining and not intended to be a guaranteed source of revenue for the district. Deployment opportunity is completely dependent upon State, Regional, and National needs. It has, however, brought in funds that were used to jumpstart the ambulance program and replace an aging squad/brush truck, as well as other critical equipment.
How woud sales tax help?
Unlike a property tax, a sales tax would be paid by ALL consumers who purchase applicable goods/services from businesses located within the Cimarron Hills Fire Protection district, including those who do not own property in the district but who may use Fire District services. It relieves the sole burden of funding the fire district off property owners.
The Board is exploring different ways to ensure sustainable funding of the fire district while minimizing the impact on current residents. In 2024, the approval of Senate Bill 24-194 gave special fire districts, like ours, the ability to levy a sales tax to generate additional revenue for district services. Your Board of Directors recognizes this as an opportunity we believe would have minimal impact on our residents, but would generate substantial income paid for by patrons of our district businesses.
We want to hear your feedback - do YOU see this as an opportunity to let others help fund your fire services?
To understand the impact on your personal finances, think about how much money you spend INSIDE the district boundaries (see the map). Where do you shop? Where do you get gas? What restaurants do you frequent? Any shopping you do at big box stores (Lowes/Home Depot, King Soopers/Safeway, Walmart, etc) would not be affected as these businesses are located outside the district, within the city limits of Colorado Springs.
We invite you to visit with us at a community or Board meeting, or drop us an email with your questions/thoughts through our contact form.
