Upper Pine River Fire Protection District is asking voters to approve a 1% sales tax to help generate revenue for the agency.
Upper Pine fire Capt. Jason Jeep said the tax would not apply to essential goods such as feminine products, baby products, groceries, prescription drugs, farm equipment and school supplies. He said anyone making purchases in the district, including tourists, would be subject to the tax, which is why the department went with a sales tax over a property tax.
“When tourists come in to see Lemon (Reservoir) and spend time in our campgrounds, they’re using our services as well,” Jeep said. “It’s not fair for our property owners to bear the full burden of that when the visitors are also using our services.”
Jeep said property taxes throughout Colorado are already going up, making it harder to afford a home in an already expensive state. And in Bayfield specifically, Upper Pine fire wanted to ensure its firefighters can afford to live within the district, rather than commuting to and from the station, he said.
“We don't have a ton of commercial (businesses) within our district, and that’s where the difficulty comes in with property taxes,” Jeep said. “The majority of our funds come from actual homeowner property taxes, and that’s a pretty big burden on our residents in the district.”
The cost of running a fire department has risen for several years, Jeep said. For example, ambulances cost roughly $500,000 a piece, and a firetruck can go for upward of $1 million. According to the official ballot language, the sales tax would raise an additional $490,000 for the department, would allow the department to purchase replacements for aging equipment – such as the department’s hoses.
“Some of our hoses are older than the firefighters we have on our crews, and that’s just not safe,” he said. “And so we need to be able to replace the hoses and replace the nozzles.”
The fire department applies for grant funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Assistance to Firefighters Grants to help make big purchases like firetrucks, ambulances and other equipment. However, those grants usually require the department to match the payment 50-50, Jeep said. Raising the sales tax would allow the department to pay those costs without needing to go into debt.
“We generate a substantial amount of our budget from grants,” Jeep said. “If we’re lucky enough that our district blesses us with this sales tax, we’re not going to stop going after that money, because we just feel that it’s prudent of us to do everything we can to make ourselves whole.”
This year’s ballot question will help set the department up for success in the future, Jeep said. The revenue generated through the tax would allow the department to purchase new equipment like firetrucks and ambulances, in addition to paying their firefighters a living wage, he said.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
