West Routt Fire Protection District

West Routt Fire Property Tax Increase

Property tax increaseFire district mill levy

Adds up to 3.0 mills for West Routt fire and emergency services, beginning with 2028 collections, with a stated $448,950 first-year increase and no end date.

West Routt Fire Protection District

Kim's Recommendation

Vote No on West Routt Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6A

Ballot Issue 6A's purposes include hiring and retaining emergency medical providers and firefighters and paying the costs of running the district, and those costs come due every year. The levy that pays for them is up to 3.0 mills of property tax, which the question puts at $448,950 in its first full fiscal year, and it can raise additional amounts each year after that, all of which the district keeps. I judge a levy that lists hiring among its purposes by the hiring it names, and 6A names none: the question sets no number of positions. The levy also has no end date, so a yes vote approves an unstated amount of hiring in every year to come.

I recommend a no vote on West Routt Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6A.

Kim Monson

Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026

Certified ballot question

SHALL WEST ROUTT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT TAXES BE INCREASED $448,950.00 (FIRST FULL FISCAL YEAR DOLLAR INCREASE) BEGINNING IN LEVY YEAR 2027 (FOR COLLECTION IN CALENDAR YEAR 2028), AND BY SUCH ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS AS ARE COLLECTED ANNUALLY THEREAFTER THROUGH THE IMPOSITION OF AN ADDITIONAL MILL LEVY OF NOT TO EXCEED 3.0 MILLS WITH THE REVENUE FROM THE INCREASE TO BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING THE DISTRICT'S LEVELS OF SERVICE, INCLUDING: • SUPPORTING ITS EMERGENCY MEDICAL AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES AND ITS FIREFIGHTING SERVICES; • HIRING AND RETAINING PERSONNEL, INCLUDING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER EMERGENCY SERVICE PROFESSIONS, AND • PROVIDING NECESSARY EQUIPMENT FOR EMTS AND FIREFIGHTERS, AND PAYING THE COSTS OF OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE DISTRICT, AND SHALL THE WEST ROUTT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT, RETAIN, AND SPEND ALL REVENUES FROM SUCH TAX AS A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?

A yes vote means

The district could add up to 3.0 mills beginning in levy year 2027 for collection in 2028, and retain and spend the resulting revenue.

A no vote means

This question would not authorize the additional fire district levy.

An Added Fire District Levy01

The West Routt Fire Protection District, which protects Hayden and the surrounding part of west Routt County, seeks an additional property tax levy of not more than 3.0 mills. As an example, at the full 3.0 mills, $10,000 of taxable assessed value pays $30 a year. The levy begins in levy year 2027, for collection in calendar year 2028. The question puts the increase at $448,950 in the first full fiscal year and lets district taxes rise by whatever additional amounts the levy collects in each year after that. The levy has no end date.

Increase at the Maximum Added Rate

The question permits an additional levy of up to 3.0 mills, collected from 2028.

$10,000 in taxable assessed value

$10,000 × 3 ÷ 1,000 = $30 more per year.

Taxable assessed value is not a home's market value. For 2026 it is about 6% to 7% of the actual value the county assessor sets. A home with an actual value of $500,000 has an assessed value of about $30,600 for local government taxes and $35,250 for school district taxes.

This uses the maximum added rate, not a prediction of the rate the district will levy. Enter taxable assessed value, not market value. Existing taxes are excluded.

West Routt Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6A: additional levy not to exceed 3.0 mills.

What the District Levies Now02

The state Division of Property Taxation's figures for tax year 2025 put the district's total levy at 9.675 mills. That total is a general levy of 3.082 mills, a special levy of 6.5 mills and an abatement levy of 0.093 mills.

Staff, Ambulance and Equipment03

The money goes to maintaining and improving the district's levels of service. The question lists support for the district's emergency medical and transportation services and firefighting; hiring and retaining personnel, including emergency medical service (EMS) providers, firefighters and other emergency service professions; necessary equipment for emergency medical technicians and firefighters; and the costs of operating and administering the district. It names no number of positions.

The board's minutes show the district answered 41 calls in March 2026, 34 of them EMS, and 35 in April, 22 of them EMS. At one structure fire in April, seven paid staff and four volunteers from the district responded. In May, the assistant chief reported that one volunteer and one part-time person had resigned, both after moving away for jobs.

The Earlier Sales Tax Talks04

In February, the chief raised putting a 1% sales tax question on the November ballot. The May minutes record general consensus in favor, and the June 20 agenda still listed the proposed 1% sales tax. The agenda for a September 1 special meeting listed Resolution #26-4, for approval of ballot language for the November 3, 2026, general election.

A TABOR Revenue Change05

A yes vote lets the district collect, retain and spend all revenue from the tax as a voter-approved revenue change under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR).