ALLENSPARK — With elections in November the following provides information about Ballot Issue 7C.

What does it mean?

Should property taxes be increased to provide $331,000 in additional annual funds for Allenspark Fire Protection District?

How much will it cost?

$177.85 per year for a home assessed at $500,000; $355.10 for a $1 million home

What will the money be spent on?

Allenspark FPD’s revenue for 2026 was ​​$442,000. If approved, this tax will increase the district’s revenue by 75%. 

Per the ballot language the tax increase will fund, 

• Shoring up the district’s emergency reserves

• Pay for deferred maintenance

• Update and replace firefighting and medical equipment

• Additional staffing for fire and medical

• Increasing the number of dry hydrants and water storage tanks

Proposed staff includes: 

• Full-time fire chief position

• Part-time fire mitigation coordinator

• Part-time wildland coordinator

• Part-time outreach and prevention

• More hours for administration

• More hours for fleet/facilities manager

• Paid staffing on Red Flag days

Arguments for 7C

• Despite covering 160 square miles, 2,000 properties and 568 residents, the district has no full-time employees. The chief is paid a monthly stipend. The Community Wildfire Protection Plan recommended paid staff to improve service and operations.

• More firefighters will result in faster response times, particularly paid staffing on Red Flag days

• More water resources will help extinguish fires more completely and quickly

• Allenspark FPD has not increased its mill levy since 2003. The district will have to reduce services if its budget shortfall is not addressed.

• Climate change is already resulting in longer and more active fire seasons. Responding to more incidents costs more money, and has already resulted in deferred maintenance of the district’s five stations and 15 vehicles.

Arguments against 7C

• It is a tax increase, and will add costs for homeowners.

• It is a large increase in revenue for the district. A lower tax could address the funding shortfall ($85,000 per year, according to advocates Friends of AFPD) without additional services. However, even the full tax is a lower rate of funding and staffing than many nearby fire protection districts. 

More information and resources

afpdmilllevy.com

allensparkfire.com/preparedness-and-prevention