The Board is expected to decide in late summer whether or not to place a property tax increase or new sales tax on the November ballot. If they choose not to move forward with a ballot measure, they will need to consider cuts to essential services.

It's been 20 years since voters were last asked to approve a property tax increase for South Metro. The only exception is when a smaller district (such as Littleton Fire Department) increased their mill levy to merge with South Metro.

It seems logical — but due to changes in state law, even with increased home values, SMFR is actually receiving less money per property. The 2024 legislation aimed to reduce property taxes statewide, but it unintentionally slashed funding for fire districts like ours.

In addition, 36% of our revenue if from commercial property, which continues to decline in value.

Our current mill levy is the lowest in the lowest of similar fire districts throughout Colorado. For example:

South Metro 9.25

West Metro 13.68

Arvada 14.81

North Metro 14.62

Compared to other taxing entities that may appear on your property tax bill:

South Metro 9.25

Arapahoe County 16.88

Cherry Creek Public Schools 47.56

Littleton Schools 64.79

Douglas County 13.98

Douglas County Schools 40.32

From the gear to the trucks and the stations we have been experiencing from a 40% to 79% increase in costs. For example, every firefighter needs two sets of bunker gear, which must be replaced every 5 years. The cost for one helmet, jacket, protective pants, and a pair of boots went from $3,663 to $5,120 in 6 years. And the cost to purchase a new engine went from $725,000 in 2019 to $1.3 million today.

When lifesaving equipment reaches the end of its useful life it must be replaced for the safety of our residents and our first-responders.

We are looking at every option and we always look to reduce costs wherever possible. If cuts are necessary, reduced crews would impact emergency response capabilities/time. We will always show up as soon as possible, however it may take longer to respond in some instances.

• It would also mean that plans for new stations could be delayed by several years
• Remember, we’ve been operating from the same mill levy for over 20 years

For context, the $16 million loss in revenue equates to 10.3% of our total property tax revenue and 8.1% of our total revenue – so this is significant. Our 2025 expenditures total $186.2 million (our 2025 revenue is $198 million).

One of the larger areas of demand is in emergency medical response – in 2019 we responded to nearly 28,000 calls and in 2024 that jumped to over 33,000 calls (a 20% increase).

It continues to have a significant impact - 36% of our revenue comes from commercial property.