The Conifer-based Elk Creek Fire Protection District board voted unanimously on Aug. 8 to ask district voters to approve in the November general election a 2.5 mill increase that would sunset after 10 years.
The money raised under that property tax increase, roughly $482,138 in 2014, would be used to maintain the level of service in the district by replacing aging equipment, including fire trucks.
Details in this week's Flume.
A thorough analysis of ALL expenses, projected capital purchases, retirement liability, salaries, resources (stations, etc) must be openly provided to the voters ASAP....we need real info to make our decisions. Not just a dog/pony fest this time.....all data.
The area is in a depression and govt resources should be CUT not expanded. FEWER taxpayers and lower property values drive this new attempt. May well pass but not in the dark.
Deltamrey, feel free to email Chief McLaughlin and ask - all, or almost all of that data has already been provided to the public. His email address is available on the Elk Creek Fire website,
www.elkcreekfire.org
. You are also free to catch up on everything by watching all of the videos of their BOD meetings that MMT has videotaped and view some of the documents provided on various threads linked in this thread:
http://mymountaintown.com/forums/area-n ... ions/28224
If you have any questions, the Chief will be presenting at the upcoming 285 Corridor Tea Party meeting on Aug 26 at the Memorial Barn in Evergreen, at the Conifer Area Council Conifer Town Hall Meeting Sept 18, at a Conifer Chamber Public Affairs Committee meeting date TBD, and at a Community meeting that the Friends of Elk Creek are still wrapping up organizing.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
No, I want the hard data....not dog/pony presentation mush...I will show at the Tea Party meeting....but talk is cheap. Also we need THIRD party review not just commissioners and staff stuff.......I spent five years in New England and our town meetings were very effective (we did have people that actually asked tough questions before the clerks were given a nickel). Thanks for your reply BTW.
I am sure the chief is a good chief....that said that is not a source the citizens should entirely rely on......he I assume is paid by the citizens and that is a problem.....just an input. EACH citizen should be given the hard data and if possible audited by an third party.
Many towns do it exactly this way for good reason. They who own the department trust themselves to make informed decisions.
deltamrey wrote: No, I want the hard data....not dog/pony presentation mush...I will show at the Tea Party meeting....but talk is cheap. Also we need THIRD party review not just commissioners and staff stuff.......I spent five years in New England and our town meetings were very effective (we did have people that actually asked tough questions before the clerks were given a nickel). Thanks for your reply BTW.
Sorry, I realize I wasn't specific enough. Yes, the hard data is available - that's what I meant by contacting Chief McLaughlin. He has all of the Financial Reports, his own analyses of expenses and what they've already cut to save money, and BOD annual budgets (their annual budgets are audited by an outside org). We've posted some of those, but many are very long and we didn't want to make people's eyes glaze over with 40+ pages of documents uploaded as images in one thread.
Please come introduce yourself at the Tea Party meeting if you wish - I'll be there with the video camera taping the meeting for everyone to watch who can't make it.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill