We have attended several meetings, reviewed the information and met with Chief Doughty regarding the proposed Mill Levy increase. We have concluded that this request for an approximate $75 annual property tax increase on a $400,000 home is primarily about rescue. Currently, if a 911 call is received by the district, it takes approximately 8.4 minutes for a vehicle with trained EMTs to arrive. That seems like an eternity if your child, spouse or loved one is lying on the floor needing help.
Currently, 44 percent of all calls are concurrent, meaning the district is handling two or more calls simultaneously. If the mill levy fails, to prevent further erosion of reserves, personnel and services will have to be cut and training will be scaled back. The response times will undoubtedly increase.
Looking at the number and type of calls, fire calls have remained fairly constant over the past five years, yet rescue calls have skyrocketed and the district is struggling to continue the exceptional level of service we receive. Rescue calls are projected to continue to increase at a steady level. Response times cannot be predicted, but with cuts, it is reasonable to assume it could double in the next five years.
When your child, spouse or loved one is lying on the floor, and after the 8.4-plus minutes of “eternity” are up, will it be worth $75 annually? We think so.
We support the mill levy increase and ask others to as well.
Jim and Cheryl Duresky
Durango
