By Josh Pike
Staff Writer
The Pagosa Fire Protection District (PFPD) Board of Directors discussed options for increasing district funding at its March 5 meeting.
Fire Chief Robert Bertram opened the discussion by noting that Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux had discussed the possibility of an emergency services mill levy with the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) at its Feb. 20 work session.
He stated that wildfire suppression for those who live outside the fire district is a county responsibility, but neither the county nor the PFPD receive tax revenues to support this.
Bertram commented that a primary issue is that the people who live in the county but do not live in the fire district still receive services from the district.
The PFPD, he explained, responds to calls outside its service area because it is the “right thing to do,” but does not receive property tax payments.
He explained that the PFPD and the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) are working on developing a solution for this issue, including potentially creating a mill levy which would help support county fire operations and potentially the purchase of equipment to fight structure fires, which the county currently lacks.
Bertram added that another option would be to attempt to add more properties into the fire district to reduce the amount of properties the county is responsible for and that are not paying for fire service.
He commented that the current arrangement is “not fair” and that he was hoping to “open the conversation” on the issue.
PFPD board member James Martin noted that an emergency services mill levy would likely have to cover the entire county, including those in the PFPD, which could make its passage a “struggle.”
Bertram commented that the PFPD and ACSO supporting each other with whatever approach is ultimately taken would be critical.
He noted that including more properties in the district would require voter approval and that the complex structure of the PFPD and the other fire districts which also enter the county complicate the issue.
PFPD board member Wayne Hooper noted that another question is whether the area wants two fire departments or wants a single combined fire department.
Martin stated that the district has cost recovery for fires outside the district, but that there is a relatively low rate of recovery and the amounts that can be charged are low.
He commented that this issue has been discussed multiple times before and come up to “the same road block.”
“How do you get this done? You can’t be non-compassionate and not service, but, at the same time, you can’t work for free,” he said.
The group then discussed fire service in nearby areas of Mineral County and Hinsdale County, with Bertram noting that the district does not receive compensation from these counties for responses in their areas, but that it has an ethical responsibility to fight fires that occur there.
PFPD board member Ronald Beckman commented that he appreciated Bertram updating the board on the issue and stated that he feels staying in alignment with any efforts that the ACSO undertakes is critical.
Bertram commented that expanding the district could raise issues about if the district is prepared to fully accept responsibility for fire suppression in the increased area.
Martin commented that the district is currently not well prepared or planned for expansion and that one key step is increasing district revenues, which could be done by expanding the district, but would also likely require increasing the district’s mill levy.
“If we don’t start now, it’s never going to happen,” he said. “We have to somehow start that process and it may not be popular, but that’s the least of the concerns. It will be real unpopular when somebody dies in a burning house we didn’t get to in time. So, the reality of it is just, let’s bite the bullet, put our hand out there and let somebody slap it. At least they know now, ‘Hey, here’s the reasons why we have to do this.’
“Right now there’s no discussion, the community thinks they’re covered. This community thinks everything’s just wonderful because you’re making sure they’re covered even though you’re flatlining right now. Your equipment’s gonna die, your facility’s going to require maintenance, and you don’t have the revenue stream for it. We need to force the community to support this facility better. So, how do we do that?”
Martin commented that the district needs to start discussing how to increase its revenues and start taking steps to do so.
Discussion then returned to the issue of whether an emergency services mill levy or an expansion of the district would be desirable, with Bertram stating that the county is currently working on determining if a mill levy could be imposed on only the areas of the county not covered by a fire district.
Martin commented that the county commissioners need to be informed about the financial needs of the fire district as they currently do not appear to be aware of them and are focused on “all these other screwups” consuming county funds and attention.
The board continued discussion of the mill levy, with board members highlighting the importance of ensuring that those currently not contributing to fire services do so and raising community awareness of the need for increased fire services funding, particularly with large development projects moving into the area.
Beckman proposed that the board should review the fire master plan for the district at its April meeting to help continue moving the process forward.
Bertram commented that he is currently focusing on revising internal district policies and documents before beginning to focus on the strategic plan.
“There’s this old adage that it’s hard to remember you came to drain the swamp when you’re up to your butt in alligators,” Martin said, adding that amount of work Bertram is facing is likely overwhelming, but that the district needs to keep moving on long-term issues like funding as well.
Bertram commented that he did not expect to have to be addressing many of the issues he is currently facing and that addressing them often involves “realizing where it is, drawing that line, and moving forward and correcting stuff and continuing to go.”
“We can’t look back,” Martin said. “It doesn’t do us any good. We can only look forward, and you tell us what you need to continue to move forward. ... I’m going to whine about things that I think could cost a firefighter’s life or a community member’s life. That’s what I’m going to whine about. The rest of it to me is minutiae. We need to keep you guys alive, and we need to keep the public alive ... and that’s all that matters.
“And how do we get there? We sure as hell can’t get there without a budget, so the county has to help somehow. We’re not in a position to say, ‘No, you can’t issue these building permits because we can’t support it.’ So, it’s their responsibility to help somewhere or provide a vision of how they’re going to fund these services even though they don’t seem to think it’s their responsibility.”
josh@pagosasun.com
