The following resolution was approved by the Windsor Severance Fire Protection District Board of Directors on August 21, 2024.

RESOLUTION NO. 2024-03

RESOLUTION OF THE WINDSOR SEVERANCE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT REQUESTING VOTERS ENERGETICALLY & RESOLUTELY OPPOSE STATEWIDE BALLOT INITIATIVES 50 & 108 FOR THE NOVEMBER 5TH STATEWIDE ELECTION

WHEREAS, Colorado’s locally funded fire fighters protect the economy of every community in Colorado;

WHEREAS, Colorado’s locally funded fire fighters protect nearly 3 million jobs in Colorado;

WHEREAS, Colorado’s locally funded fire fighters respond to every human-caused and natural disaster in Colorado;

WHEREAS, Colorado’s locally funded fire fighters protect Colorado’s natural resources, our forests and the quality of our air and water;

WHEREAS, Colorado’s locally funded fire fighters protect the lives, property and well-being of our state’s 5.9 million residents and 84 million annual visitors;

WHEREAS, Colorado’s fire protection districts are nearly fully dependent on property tax revenue as their primary or even sole source of revenue;

WHEREAS, the State of Colorado does not provide any reoccurring annual revenue support for fire protection district operations, yet locally funded fire protection districts serve as the cavalry when major disasters and incidents occur;

WHEREAS, both Initiative 50 and Initiative 108 will invalidate prior local budgeting and revenue decisions by fire protection districts' officials and voters, replacing local control of their community with a statewide calculation that will result in billions of dollars of locally lost revenue without any reduction in service or legal obligations;

WHEREAS, Initiatives 50 and 108 will significantly hinder & even damage the ability of fire protection districts to provide the fire services, emergency medical services, and emergency rescue services that their constituent communities expect, because fiscal resources will not keep pace with inflation, population growth, aging infrastructure, materials, personnel, capital projects, or provide protections for essential operations from economic downturns;

WHEREAS, Initiative 50 fundamentally alters the local government property tax system, which can be tailored to meet local needs, into a statewide mandated calculation that will hurt local fire protection districts and the citizens, the visitors and communities they serve, and in particular, rural areas of Colorado;

WHEREAS, the text of Initiative 50, which amends the Colorado Constitution, is so ambiguous that experts are confounded about how it can be implemented, including its impact on current and future governmental obligations, which will lead to years of legal challenges, making property tax an unpredictable and unreliable resource for fire protection districts;

WHEREAS, Initiative 108 states that local governments will be reimbursed from state funds for lost property tax revenue, but that statement is an empty promise because those reductions are too large for the State’s budget to sustain reimbursements, and further, the General Assembly has already indicated its disinclination in its recent property tax proposals and laws to provide reimbursements for lost revenue to non-school local governments; and

WHEREAS, Initiatives 50 and 108, individually and together, will nullify the short- and long-range planning efforts of Colorado’s fire protection districts that are necessary to absorb inflationary pressures, to recruit and maintain adequate numbers of both volunteer and career fire fighters, to support existing and grow new fire & life safety programs, to construct and maintain essential infrastructure, and to respond to the needs and emergencies of Colorado’s communities.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE WINDSOR SEVERANCE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT AS FOLLOWS:

1. It is the position of the Board of Directors of the Windsor Severance Fire Protection District that fire protection districts and their constituents are best suited to determine the revenues necessary to meet the needs, expectations, and demands of the communities they serve.
2. The Board of Directors recognizes that fire protection districts are accountable to their local voters, who may take action if they believe the taxes they pay are not warranted for the services, facilities, and infrastructure provided by special districts in their communities.
3. The Board of Directors recognizes that the passage of Propositions 50 and 108 will delay the addition of future stations, staff, the replacement of mission critical equipment, and will overall increase response times to the community through the delay of adding future resources.
4. For these reasons, the Board of Directors strongly urges a NO vote on Propositions 50 and 108 at the statewide election on November 5, 2024.

APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 21st day of August, 2024, by the Board of Directors of the WINDSOR SEVERANCE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT.