Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 5A: Yes on Property Tax Increase

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Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 5A

Mill levy increase to replace old trucks and train personnel for wildfires

Yes

No

If
passed, this ballot issue would increase the general property tax levy
rate to raise funds for equipment repair and maintenance.

The
increase in this tax rate will help the Boulder Mountain Fire District,
which serves Pine Brook Hills, Boulder Heights and Carriage Hills,
restore its capital equipment funding and maintain its level of
services, including First Responder and Fire Mitigation Services.

The
funding increase will assist in paying for the repair and maintenance
or replacement of fire trucks that are approaching 30 years old. The tax
increase will also help the fire department pay for training and
retaining qualified personnel to deal with wildfires and the watershed
damage from the Fourmile Fire, which resulted in flooding. Boulder
Mountain Fire is also interested in retaining an Emergency Response Team
to manage an increasing number of emergency calls.

The Boulder Mountain Fire District
is proposing that its mill levy be raised to 8.912 mills from 6.189
mills, a 2.723 mill increase, starting in 2012 for collection in 2013.
The present annual tax rate for a $500,000 home is $246. This value
breaks down to about $20 per month. The proposed tax increase would add
an additional $9 per month, or $108 per year, for a $500,000 home.

The last time BFMPD had a rate increase was in 2000.

Again, it’s hard to vote against our local firefighters.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com