Clear Creek County officials review survey showing support for paid firefighters, favor sales-tax funding over property tax

A consultant told a joint Clear Creek County–municipal meeting that a recent mail survey shows residents generally approve of the Clear Creek Fire Authority’s performance and are open to funding paid firefighter positions — with a countywide sales tax the most acceptable single funding option.

Bill Ray, a consultant who presented the survey results, said the mailer was sent to about 35,100 households and closed Dec. 10, producing 344 responses. "You have a high approval rating, and also a strong rating of confidence handling tax dollars," Ray said, summarizing respondents' views. He added that wildfire risk and housing costs were the survey's top open-ended concerns.

Ray said voters responded most positively to an option framed as a 1.45% county sales tax, gave lower support to a straight property-tax increase (about 14.67 mills in the scenario presented), and showed moderate support for a blended sales-and-property-tax approach. He cautioned that voters often change their responses when they see actual ballot (TABOR) language and recommended showing sample ballot language before a final decision.

Why it matters: county and municipal officials said survey findings will shape whether and how to ask voters to change funding. The question affects service levels, who bears the cost (local residents versus visitors), municipal sales-tax caps, and timing relative to other county revenue needs.

Meeting discussion and next steps: participants across the county and the municipalities discussed survey breakdowns by ZIP code and age group, the public perception that the authority pays for many I-70 incidents, and the need for a coordinated public-education campaign. Officials and municipal representatives emphasized the following points:

- Education and messaging: Ray and several elected officials said the authority must explain why responders answer I-70 incidents and who can legally be charged for those services. The presenter recommended a multi-channel outreach plan aimed at older, historically consistent voters (about 41% of the likely-voter profile in the survey) and younger residents as appropriate.

- Funding options: Participants noted the survey showed the strongest single-option support for a sales tax, weak support for a property-tax-only approach, and modest support for a blended approach. Officials from some small municipalities and unincorporated areas said a pure sales tax could place disproportionate burden on local consumers in places that do most of their shopping outside the county; several municipal representatives favored a mix to spread impacts.

- Coordination with other jurisdictions: Officials agreed the county should engage Evergreen Fire Rescue and other neighboring entities early to discuss whether a shared revenue approach or a defined benefit to outside districts could be part of a countywide sales-tax plan.

- Governance and pacing: Participants agreed the existing intergovernmental agreement (IGA) governing the Clear Creek Fire Authority has been executed and that the joint group should shift focus from formation to funding and public engagement. Several speakers urged careful sequencing if more than one ballot measure is considered (for example, a countywide public-safety sales tax and a separate county revenue measure), because running multiple measures close together can depress success rates.

Decisions and assignments: the group reached consensus on a set of next steps rather than executing formal votes. These included asking county staff and partners to draft messaging materials and an FAQ responding to common survey concerns (including I-70 cost allocation, accountability and transparency, and the differences between sales and property tax proposals); requesting a follow-up analysis of ZIP-code breakdowns; opening conversation with Evergreen Fire Rescue about potential revenue sharing; and scheduling a follow-up joint meeting for Feb. 10 at 1:00 p.m. The group asked a county staff member (Meg/Megan) to collect stakeholder input and coordinate an FAQ and press release draft for review.

Context and caution: Ray emphasized that citizen comments in the survey repeatedly raised the issue that "CDOT should pay for it" or that visitors should be charged — perceptions the authority must address through clear briefing materials. Officials repeatedly warned that ballot language and TABOR-related text substantially affect voters' reactions and recommended testing or releasing precise ballot language before making final decisions about putting measures before voters.

What’s next: officials asked staff and consultants to prepare draft outreach materials, a draft FAQ and press release, further ZIP-code analysis, and to begin conversations with Evergreen Fire Rescue and other partners. The joint group will reconvene Feb. 10 to review those materials and discuss timelines for potential ballot measures.