Dear Editor,

November ballots have arrived and contains ballot issue 6A to ask for the Nederland Fire Protection District to raise its mill levy. Short version, please vote yes.

Issue 6A asks you to approve a property tax increase for the fire department to replace its aging fleet of vehicles. Most of the department’s frontline vehicles are over 22 years old. The life expectancy of these vehicles is 15 years, on paved city roads. Time and the mountain environment take a massive toll on these vehicles.

While inflation is currently running high, fire equipment inflation runs even higher. In April the quoted price for a new engine was $840,000. That price is now closer to $900,000. A new ambulance will cost approximately $300,000. A yes vote on Issue 6A allows us to lock in the pricing now.

The board spent many work sessions seeking answers on how to fund vehicle replacements. It was obvious that doing so from the current budget is impossible. Ballot Issue 6A is our answer. It is local money guaranteed to be spent on our community and scope-limited so that it can only be spent on vehicles and buildings that support the department. We decided to phase the request over 3 years to help reduce the impact and this still allows for a 20-year replacement plan.

We understand the problems that the BOT has regarding the Police department and their ballot issue questions regarding funding, and we are supportive, but they do also have sales and other tax questions on the ballot. We can only raise our income from property tax, grants or donations. The town has a fallback plan for policing with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, we have no fallback.

There is never a good time to raise taxes, but Issue 6A has positive future benefits for the community. Replacement equipment increases our fire suppression abilities and is safer and more reliable. With rising insurance costs and a drier climate, having the best fire suppression equipment we can afford is our best defense.

The department has worked hard this year to reduce overheads, change response patterns, find grants and look at how to generate income in other ways. None of these can fix the immediate underlying problem. Although the department is 90% volunteer, the operational costs are still high.

Our independence and location have implications. In a medical emergency, without local emergency services, we are at least an hour from a hospital and in the event of a fire the first 15 minutes are critical to life and property preservation. With a yes vote on Issue 6A you help to protect our community and help us all to continue to enjoy living up here.

Iain Irwin-Powell

Chair, Nederland Fire Protection

District, Board of Directors