Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District   

3 Mill Levy Ballot Proposal

What is the Ballot Proposal?

The Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District is proposing a November ballot measure to retain and reassign 3 of the 4 bond mill levy for general and capital expenditures.

What is a Mill Levy?

A mill levy is a property tax based on the property's assessed value, expressed in mills.  One mill equals one dollar of property tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.  This tax is essential for local governments and jurisdictions to fund public services such as schools and fire districts.

How Do I Calculate My Portion?

1. First calculate your assessed value by multiplying your home value by the Larimer County single family residential assessment rate of  6.7, expressed in percent as .067.

• $400,000   x   .067   =   $26,800

2. Then multiply your assessed value by the mill  (5, 8, or 9 mills expressed in percent as .005,  .008,  .009) .

• $26,800  x  .008   =  $ 214.40
• $26,800  x  .009   =  $ 241.20

What is the History of the CLFPD Mill Levy?

A 5 mill levy was established when the District was created in 1995.

An additional 4 bond mill levy was approved by the community in 2015 for the remodel of the fire station.

The bond for the remodeling will be paid off this year, resulting in the expiration of the additional 4 bond mills.

The District is proposing to retain and reassign 3 of the 4 bond mill levy for operating and capital expenditures.

Why Does the District Need to Retain 3 of the 4 Bond Mill Levy?

With the increase in wildfire risk and the growing population in the Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District, the District needs funding to maintain and improve both fire and medical services.

Retaining and reassigning 3 of the 4 bond mill levy will enable the CLFPD to maintain vital equipment and replace crucial aging vehicles as part of our capital improvement plan. This will ensure reliability and the safety of our first responders and the community as we continue to serve property owners for decades to come.

Additionally, a 3 mill retention and reassignment will secure funding to provide the CLFPD with a general operating budget that will allow the District to establish critical technology systems, replace and update essential equipment, and support pressing recruitment and retention needs. 

What's the Bottom Line?

With a retention of 3 mills of the the 4 bond mill levy,  there will be a decrease in your overall mill levy tax rate from 9 mills to 8 mills, while still providing financial support for your Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District.

We appreciate your consideration of this proposal.  For additional information, please join us for Mill Levy Community Conversations  at the Fire Station, 237 Blackfoot Rd, Crystal Lakes on:

• Sunday, June 30th 10 am -12 pm
• Sunday, July 14th 1 pm -3 pm 
• Saturday, August 17th 10 am -12 pm * please note this as the correct time, compared to the mailer
   

Who Can Vote on CLFPD Issue 6F

The State of Colorado has specific rules regarding who can vote on a special district TABOR issue.  The Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District (CLFPD) is a special district that has a TABOR issue, “Issue 6F,” on the ballot on November 5th—this is the mill levy retention request that we’ve been sharing information about all summer. 

There are two basic qualifications voters must meet to vote in a special district TABOR election like this year’s Issue 6F.  One:  You must be a registered voter in the State of Colorado.  Two:  You must own property within the boundaries of the special district.  Beyond these two basic qualifiers, voters also face the following restrictions:

·      The voter cannot be part of a trust unless the voter resides within the district and the voter’s name also appears in the title of the trust.

·      The voter cannot be part of an LLC that owns a property.  The same goes for company-owned properties such as real estate holdings, company “getaways,” and partnerships.

·      If the voter’s permanent address is outside the State of Colorado, even if the voter owns property within the CLFPD, they’re not eligible to vote on a special district TABOR issue.

If more than one qualified voter resides at an address, TABOR requires only one notice about the tax issue be mailed to that address, but all qualified voters will receive individual ballots.  Qualified voters who live outside Larimer County but within the State of Colorado will receive two ballots, one from the voter’s county and one from CLFPD containing Issue 6F.  Qualified voters residing within Larimer County will receive one ballot, which will include Issue 6F.

Hopefully this clarifies some of the questions that inevitably surface when a TABOR issue for a special district appears on the ballot and explains why some voters who may have expected to be able to vote on this issue do not—by state law—qualify to do so.