Letter: Accidents and emergencies don鈥檛 discriminate
This time of year is arguably when Eagle County is at its most beautiful. This stretch of blue-sky days and above-average temps has locals and visitors alike flocking to be outdoors as much as possible before the inevitable onslaught of winter.
As a resident of the valley for more than 25 years, I remember a time when there was a legitimate offseason, when the locals could take a deep breath and regroup after a busy summer and before a long winter. This slow shoulder season is a thing of the past, like it or not.
An increasing number of residents and guests means busier restaurants, grocery markets, and retail stores. It also means a lot more emergency service calls for Eagle River Fire Protection District.
Did you know that non-property-owning visitors and guests don’t pay for services when Eagle River Fire Protection District responds to their emergencies? That’s right, if you don’t own property, you don’t contribute to this essential service. If you do own property, you’re contributing less, because as designed, Eagle River Fire Protection District’s mill levy decreased this year to 6.618 from 2023’s mill levy of 9.932 in response to increasing property values.
If you call 911 with an emergency in Eagle River Fire Protection District’s boundaries, I can promise you these firefighters will show up 鈥� and no one will ask where you live or whether you pay property taxes before professionally handling your emergency.
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means anyone spending money in the service area contributes to these services. It’s a .79% sales tax, which equates to 79 cents for every $100 spent, excluding groceries and prescriptions. This would apply to residents and visitors 鈥� with everyone contributing to the estimated $6.8 million generated annually.
Even if you’ve never dialed 911 or had a legitimate emergency, you may have one in the future. Don’t you want fully-staffed fire engines to show up to your incident or your neighbor’s or friend’s incident, or a fire in your complex that could potentially affect your ability to live in your home? What about having all hands on deck if a wildfire threatens our community?
Accidents and emergencies don’t discriminate, and neither should Eagle River Fire Protection District’s funding. Everyone should contribute.
Vote “yes” on 6A.
Gretchen Stich
Edwards
