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Board directs staff to coordinate with Fire District on ballot language and mill-levy offsets
Summary
Trustees asked staff to work with the Chaffee County Fire Protection District to ensure ballot language communicates the Town's intent to substantially offset the District's proposed operating mill levy and preserve future flexibility while complying with TABOR constraints.
Town Administrator Brian Berger asked the Board on June 9 to provide direction on proposed ballot language related to shifting fire-protection funding to the Chaffee County Fire Protection District.
Berger said the Fire District will finalize ballot wording but requested the Board confirm that the Town intends to reduce its authorized property-tax mill levy by an amount substantially equal to the District's proposed operating mill levy while reducing the Town's effective mill levy to limit net tax impact to Buena Vista residents. He stressed that property-tax mechanics are complex because of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) and the difference between a jurisdiction's maximum authorized mill levy and its annually adjusted effective mill levy.
Trustees generally agreed that ballot language should: (1) clearly communicate the Town's commitment to offsetting the Fire District's tax levy, (2) remain simple enough for voters to understand, and (3) preserve flexibility for future Boards and voter-approved measures. Town Attorney Jeff Parker said the Town will adopt a resolution before the election describing the actions it intends to take if the measure passes to clarify implementation.
The Board voted to direct staff to continue working with the Chaffee County Fire Protection District to finalize ballot language (Mover: Trustee Rice; Seconder: Trustee Huyck).
