- 2025 budget
- Mill levy certification
- Station 2 remodel bid approved
- Fee schedule
- Inclusion request approved
- Financial report
- Community property mitigation/risk reduction
- Chief’s report
- Special meeting—administrative office sale
By Natalie Barszcz
At the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District (TLMFPD) dba Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on Nov. 13, the board held a public hearing for the 2025 budget and approved it and the wage and fee schedules. It awarded a contract for the remodel of Station 2 on Roller Coaster Road. A public hearing was held before receiving approval for a petition for real property inclusion into the district. The board held a special meeting on Nov. 27 to approve the sale of the district administrative office suite at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 102, Monument.
The meeting began at 6:34 p.m.; President Mike Smaldino joined the meeting via Zoom at 6:43 p.m.
The special meeting began at 1 p.m.
Director Randall Estes was excused from both meetings.
2025 budget
Fire Chief Andy Kovacs said a final edit had been made to increase the Community Risk Training budget by $18,600 for various training, but primarily for training personnel to conduct business fire protection inspections in 2025. He requested the board review and approve the 2025 budget, certify the mill levy, and adopt the employee wage schedule and the fee schedule.
Note: The projected property tax revenue is about $18 million (combines both MFD and about $4 million in Donald Wescott Fire Protection District property taxes). In addition, the district anticipates miscellaneous revenue, specific ownership tax, ambulance revenue, an EMS supplement, the remaining balance on the DWFPD contract, and wildland deployment revenue to total about $24.235 million (up about $2.189 million from 2024 revenue collection). The projected expenses are estimated to be about $18.727 million for 2025, with about $11.725 million dedicated to wages (includes a 6% increase), and about $3.5 million for benefits.
The L4319 President/Engineer Christian Schmidt thanked the board for establishing collaborative negotiating for 2024 and for approving the improved pay and benefits package. There were several meetings with the executive staff over the past several months, and the line staff is very grateful, he said.
Vice President John Hildebrandt opened a public hearing on the proposed 2025 budget, and hearing no comments from the public, promptly closed the meeting and requested the board approve Resolution 2024-13 approving the 2025 budget and setting the mill levy for appropriating property tax revenue, and the corresponding appropriations.
Mill levy certification
In a roll call vote, 6-0, the board certified an 18.4 mill levy for the district’s property tax assessment.
Station 2 remodel bid approved
Division Chief of Administration Jamey Bumgarner said the district received nine bids for the remodel of Station 2 on Roller Coaster Road. After a department review with John Sattler of NV5, the district’s owners representative, the recommendation was to award Golden Triangle Construction LLC (GTC) the contract for about $1.611 million. The district budgeted about $2 million for the project in 2024 and the remodel is scheduled to begin in January 2025.
The board approved Resolution 2024-14, awarding the contract in a roll-call vote, 6-0.
Fee schedule
Kovacs said the fee schedule for 2025 had no significant increases, but the district will contract an independent NEXUS study in 2025 to determine future impact fees (that will include the construction of residential and commercial property within the district’s jurisdiction). The impact fee remains unchanged for 2025, but there will likely be changes for 2026 after the study results are known, he said. See https://wp.ocn.me/v24n11mfd/.
Hildebrandt said the impact fee of $777 for a single-family home has remained the same since the 2008 recession. As costs increase for the department, fees should also increase incrementally, he said.
The board approved the fee schedule in a roll call vote 6-0.
Note: The board approved the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) state statute retrieval fee increase at the June 26 board meeting. The CORA retrieval fee increased from $30 per hour to $41.37 per hour effective July 1, 2024. See https://wp.ocn.me/v24n7mfd/.
Inclusion request approved
The board opened a public hearing for the petition of inclusion for the McDonald and Enloe property at 5775 Mountain Shadow View, Colorado Springs. After hearing no opposition, the hearing was closed and the board approved Resolution 2024-12, a request for inclusion of property, in a roll call vote, 6-0.
Financial report
Treasurer Tom Kelly said that as of Oct. 31, the district is 83.3% of the total amount to be considered in line with annual projections. Overall revenue year to date is about $22.8 million, about 103.4% of the projected revenue and $762,000 above projection. Most income is on target, but ambulance revenue is lagging by 4.4%. The 2024 income budget was set at about $22 million. Overall expenses year to date are about $13.9 million or 85.1% of the projected expense budget set at about $16.336 million. Overtime is at 113.52% year to date or about $95,969 over the $710,000 annual budget for the shift workers. The board reviewed 23 electronic transactions over $2,500. Of note were:
- $84,198 Flintco LLC Station 4 remodel
- $40,078 Low Voltage Station Alerting System
- $21,660 OZ Architecture Architectural Fees
- $8,810 Wex Bank Inc. Fleet Fuel
- $5,985 Gary Sandstrom IT Contract
Every transaction appeared appropriate and within the 2024 budget, Kelly said. As of Oct. 31, the checking and savings accounts totaled about $19.428 million with about $12.2 million in the Operations and General Fund, he said.
District Administrative Officer Jennifer Martin said the ambulance revenue is below projection since the district’s ambulance billing company merged with eight nationwide insurance companies on April 1. The old billing system has not yet caught up, but more revenue is expected.
Kovacs said the Cimarron Hills Fire Department uses the same billing vendor and they are also behind in ambulance revenue collection.
The board accepted the financial report as presented, 5-0. Smaldino was absent for the vote.
Community property mitigation/risk reduction
Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Jonathan Bradley said a mitigation risk trail is located near Monument Lake and south of the dam. The demonstration area was created using a grant to install signboards to show property owners before-and-after examples of property mitigation. Across the district, the communities have removed more than 250 tons of vegetation chipped by district staff throughout 2024. The U.S. Forest Service is using satellite imagery to discover areas that need mitigation, and there is lots going on for fire prevention but there is a lot more to do, said Bradley.
Chief’s report
Note: The chief’s report and the financial report can be found at www.monumentfire.org. This reporter attended via Zoom.
Special meeting—administrative office sale
On Nov. 27, the board held a special meeting to approve the sale of the district administrative office at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 102.
In a 6-0 vote, the board approved the property sale.
The meeting adjourned at 7:41p.m.
The special meeting adjourned at 1:03 p.m.
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Meetings are usually held on the fourth Wednesday every month. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Station 1, 18650 Highway 105. A Volunteer Pension Fund Board of Trustees (Legacy) meeting for the former DWFPD volunteer firefighters will precede the regular meeting at 6 p.m. For Microsoft Teams virtual joining instructions, agendas, minutes, and updates, visit www.monumentfire.org or contact Director of Administration Jennifer Martin at 719-484-9011.
Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.