Bluff proposes $50,000 property-tax increase as county seeks 1% EMS sales tax

Mayor Josh Ewing announced May 5 that the town’s tentative FY2027 budget would include a proposed $50,000 ad valorem property-tax increase to support emergency services, including Fire and EMS and a part-time Emergency Services Administrative Manager. “The Town of Bluff is considering levying a property tax rate that exceeds the certified tax rate,” Ewing read, a step required to preserve the option before the town’s formal public hearings.

The proposal would raise Bluff’s certified rate from about 0.000545104 to roughly 0.00113663 and increase the town’s annual property-tax collections by an estimated $50,000 — producing a projected total collection of $83,186, according to the town’s impact schedule. The statement lists example homeowner impacts: an owner-occupied residence with a market value of $233,800 would pay roughly $105.61 more per year; a $500,000 home would see an estimated $225.85 increase.

The announcement followed a presentation from San Juan County EMS Director Jeremy Hoggard, who urged support for a countywide 1% rural health-care sales tax that would appear on the Fall 2026 ballot. Hoggard said San Juan County EMS had approximately 54,000 combined on-call hours in 2025, operates two 24/7 transporting ambulances with five full-time and 35 part-time staff, and responded to 591 calls last year, transporting 449 patients. He told the council the service’s 2026 budget is about $1.06 million with projected income near $707,309 and staff costs about $734,636, and that roughly 37% of call volume involves visitors or calls outside the county’s primary service area.

Hoggard described structural funding pressures: low call volume raises fixed cost per call to about $1,670 while the average collection per bill is around $700; many calls are Medicare/Medicaid and a significant share of transports are unbillable. The county’s recommended option to stabilize funding is a 1% rural health-care sales tax, which Hoggard estimated could generate approximately $1.2 million and be used to add full-time staff, create a replacement fund for ambulances and stations, and cover equipment and training costs.

At the Bluff meeting, Ewing and staff noted the county measure could reduce county general-fund contributions that have totaled about $300,000 in recent years. Town staff estimated Bluff’s share from such a sales tax could be roughly $125,000–$150,000 annually based on local resort-tax receipts, though the town has not committed funds and county officials cannot campaign with public funds; Hoggard said the campaign is seeking grassroots support.

Public comment included questions from Gary Lichtenstein, who identified himself as having served as an assistant chief in the Bluff Fire Department and as owner of Quality Evaluation Designs. Lichtenstein urged the council to clarify outcomes before approving new revenue, asked whether the $50,000 would buy equipment or staff (he noted his own estimate of a sustainable department at about $230,000), and asked about liability and administrative structure for Fire/EMS.

Councilmembers and staff said the discussion is at an early stage, announced an open-house budget meeting for May 19 for more public discussion, and confirmed a separate duly noticed public hearing on any property-tax increase is planned for early August in coordination with San Juan County. Councilmember Jennifer Davila explicitly noted that Bluff is not proposing to take over Fire or EMS operations but is considering contributing funds to sustain services.

The council adopted the tentative FY2027 budget at the same meeting (see related article). The town will hold targeted outreach events before formal budget adoption later this year.