Last year’s voted-approved property tax increase to fund _ive full-time employees

With hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional yearly funding secured through a mill levy increase, the Ridgway Fire Protection District is hiring five paid employees.

The Ridgway Volunteer Fire Department, which the fire district governs, has almost exclusively relied on volunteers to respond to a range of emergencies since it was established in 1891.

According to district budget reports, the district brought in about $692,000 in property tax revenue in 2023, a $414,000 — or 149% — increase over the roughly $278,000 in property tax revenue it brought in during 2021.

Officials’ primary sale while advocating for the ballot measure was that additional funding would allow the district to hire paid firefighting staff. So far, it appears the district is spending the majority of new funding as promised.

Those same budget documents show the department will pay five employees a combined total of $300,000 per year. Ridgway Fire Chief Chris Miller will earn $80,000 annually, while three captains and District Administrator Katy LaSala will earn $55,000 annually.

All five employees will receive employer-paid health insurance, while Miller and the three captains will be eligible to enroll in a state-mandated pension plan.

So far, the department has hired Ronald Williams as a captain, leaving the two other positions open. It’s unclear if the department has interviewed other candidates or what the timeline is for filling those jobs.

Miller said he believes it’s the first time the department has hired paid, full-time staff members in its 132-year history. He said their presence will help personalize volunteer training and improve response quality, safety and vehicle maintenance.

“I think we’ll be able to build up some more morale and hope for people with a lot more confidence in what’s going on,” Miller said.

When voters overwhelmingly passed the proposal last November, it increased the fire district’s total mill from 3.591 to 7.591 — around $400,000 more revenue per year at the time. That figure could grow once tax officials factor in recent property valuation increases across Ouray County, but it’s too early to tell with the Proposition HH measure on this fall’s statewide ballot.

The ballot language allowed the district to spend funds on any emergency-related expenses, fire and rescue, new equipment and capital projects.

With some hires in place, there is an expectation they can begin to make improvements around the fire house.

In 2022, the average total response time — how long it took for the siren to sound to firefighters arriving on scene — was 13 minutes and 31 seconds. While unable to provide concrete 2023 data, fire district officials said they believed expected improvements in training and vehicle maintenance would decrease that number moving forward.

According to Miller, the department has received around 65 service calls so far this year, which is close to its historical average.

Miller said he hopes to hire wildland fire engine bosses, who are currently seasonal, as full-time paid employees in the future so they can conduct training sessions and hire their own crews.

Board members said the district isn’t ready to take on that endeavor.

The district encompasses 80 square miles and stretches from just south of Colona to Portland — about halfway between Ouray and Ridgway — and from Silver Jack Reservoir to Dallas Divide. It’s the largest fire protection district in Ouray County, and around 25 volunteers currently cover this area. The department typically relies on between 16 and 20 volunteers, according to Miller.

Since 2000, the number of residences, commercial buildings and large unoccupied structures, such as barns and storage sheds within the fire district has more than doubled.

This increased the district’s responsibilities while it didn’t receive a proportional increase in funding, leaving the fire department spread thin and still reliant on an exclusively volunteer force.

As a result, only a handful of volunteers respond to some calls. In some cases, it’s as few as one or two as members struggle to balance work, their families, other responsibilities and downtime.

“We are so grateful that our community is supportive of us and that they passed this bond issue that allowed us to hire this crew. And we only see good things for all of our community members going forward out of this,” district Board Chairwoman Christen Williams said. “That’s absolutely the whole heart of it – to serve the community better.”

Daniel Schmidt is a journalist with Report for America, a national service program which helps boost reporting resources in underserved areas. To make a tax-deductible donation to fund his work, contact erin@ouraynews. com.