Clear Creek County weighs 6.89-mill ESG ID ballot measure to fund fire services, wildfire mitigation and EMS

Clear Creek County—s Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 18 discussed placing a 6.89-mill property tax increase limited to the ESG ID on the ballot to fund Clear Creek Fire Authority operations, wildfire mitigation work and Clear Creek EMS.

The board and staff spent the meeting reviewing draft ballot language, how to describe the services the new revenue would support and whether to include additional separate questions that would waive a recently enacted statutory cap on annual revenue growth (referred to in the meeting as a new 5.25% statutory growth cap). Staff said the primary ballot question would ask voters to "collect, retain and spend the full revenue" from the proposed mill increase; the board debated whether to include a separate question asking voters to waive limits on future assessed-value growth.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said the money is intended to shore up daily emergency response and longer-term wildfire risk reduction in the unincorporated Evergreen Service/ESG ID area. The board noted that, without language to retain new revenue and to waive statutory growth caps, the county could be limited in how quickly it realizes the full value of a mill increase amid recent jumps in assessed values.

Key details

- Amount and scope: Staff presented a proposed 6.89-mill increase limited to the ESG ID (the measure would apply only to voters who reside within that unincorporated district). Participants discussed how that increase interacts with the county—s existing mill rate, which staff described as roughly 4.5 mills.

- Uses described in draft language: three primary funding categories were shown in the draft: Clear Creek Fire Authority (fire prevention, suppression/response and related day-to-day capacity), wildfire mitigation (including property-owner education, vegetation management, emergency egress planning and pursuing state/federal grant matching) and Clear Creek EMS (sustaining or strengthening EMS staffing and local ambulance capacity).

- Legal/ballot mechanics: Staff advised that state law and TABOR-related requirements mean at least one clear sentence is needed to "retain and spend" revenue from the new mill levy. The meeting also reviewed two options for additional ballot questions: (1) a separate question to waive a statutory annual growth cap (referred to in the meeting as a 5.25% cap) and (2) a combined waiver question that would address multiple caps in a single follow-up question. Staff said the statutory cap language must be presented as a separate question under current statute; it cannot be combined inside the single mill-levy question.

- Electorate: The staff clarified that the ESG ID question would be decided by registered voters who live inside the ESG ID, not by property owners located elsewhere.

Board discussion and points of emphasis

Participants debated how to present the services on the ballot and in outreach: some favored wording that foregrounds daily service delivery (fire response and EMS staffing) and places wildfire mitigation as a second-tier or indented item under fire services; others supported explicitly listing mitigation activities to highlight how locally generated funds can help attract state and federal grants.

Commissioners and staff also discussed whether to use the terms "sustain," "maintain" or "strengthen" for EMS and fire funding. Several participants observed that EMS recently received a tax increase and that the proposed revenue would likely sustain current services while enabling incremental improvements (for example, hiring an additional ambulance/ambulance crew). Staff indicated the new funds would not fully close EMS funding gaps and that further requests could be needed in future years.

Timing and next steps

Staff said the board was scheduled to finalize ballot language at a meeting on or about Aug. 26 and noted statutory deadlines in early September for ballot placement (staff corrected that the technical filing date would be Sept. 2 because Sept. 1 is Labor Day). The meeting record shows continued work sessions are planned and that staff will consult the county clerk about final formatting of ballot text.

What was not decided

No formal motion or vote occurred during the Aug. 18 meeting. The board debated whether to place the statutory-cap waiver on the same ballot as the mill increase or to run it as a separate question; attendees expressed differing views about simplicity versus long-term revenue certainty.

Ending

Staff and commissioners said they will continue to refine ballot language, consult the clerk about formatting and proceed toward a final decision before the statutory filing deadline. The board asked staff to prepare outreach messaging to explain both the ballot text and how the funds would be used.