{"id":24162,"date":"2025-01-03T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T17:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/an-impact-fee-in-the-cortez-fire-protection-district\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:49:01","slug":"an-impact-fee-in-the-cortez-fire-protection-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/an-impact-fee-in-the-cortez-fire-protection-district\/","title":{"rendered":"An impact fee in the Cortez Fire Protection District?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Cortez Fire Protection District ladder truck. (Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The Cortez Fire Protection District recently notified county and city officials about its intent to begin collecting an impact fee.<\/p>\n

The fee would apply only to new builds within the 169 square miles of the Cortez Fire Protection District, \u201cand it\u2019s based on what CFPD will need in the next five years,\u201d said Cortez Fire Chief Roy Wilkinson.<\/p>\n

The one-time charge would cost new residential builds $847 total. Nonresidential (commercial) builds would pay $718 per 1,000 square feet, or $0.718 a square foot.<\/p>\n

If established, CFPD could make roughly $55,000 a year from it.<\/p>\n

A bill<\/a> passed the Colorado legislature in 2024 that authorized the district to establish such fee themselves; before last year, they would\u2019ve had to partner with the city or county to make it happen, said Cortez Fire Battalion Chief Rick Spencer.<\/p>\n

But because the department secured a sales tax on the ballot in November, \u201cpeople are saying it looks bad,\u201d Wilkinson said.<\/p>\n

Money from the sales tax is for daily operations, whereas the impact fee would act as a \u201csavings account\u201d for capital items the department will need down the road, Wilkinson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t use that money for anything but capital costs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To be clear, \u201ccapital costs\u201d are improvements like replacing the water tenders, ladder trucks and securing additional fire stations.<\/p>\n

Wilkinson added that conversations about installing the fee started before the sales tax.<\/p>\n

In fact, the conversation started because of Cortez Fire\u2019s developing district; as \u201cdemand for fire protection and other emergency services provided by the district increases, (it\u2019s) ultimately necessitating a proportionate investment in facilities and rolling stock,\u201d according to CFPD\u2019s specialized impact fee study prepared by the Durango-based RPI Consulting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure we have coverage as our workload rises,\u201d Wilkinson said.<\/p>\n

The study explained that demand for Cortez Fire services \u201cis generated by housing units, businesses and institutions,\u201d and it cited data from the Montezuma County assessor to illustrate this: \u201cresidential units in the Cortez Fire Protection District grew from 5,502 units in 2003 to 6,348 units in 2023,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

In that same 10-year time period, \u201cNonresidential floor area grew by an average of 27,000 sq. foot per year,\u201d and reached 3.7 million square feet at the end of 2023.<\/p>\n

As residential units and commercial square footage grew, so did call volumes.<\/p>\n

In 2013, Cortez Fire responded to 1,612 calls; in 2023, it responded to 3,595.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to ensure that the district is able to continue to provide services as development occurs,\u201d it created a Capital Improvement Plan that highlights what it needs \u201cin the next five years,\u201d the study said.<\/p>\n

Cortez Fire estimated $4.4 million in facilities improvements \u2013 like renovating and rebuilding existing stations or building new \u2013 and another $3.475 million in \u201crolling stock purchases,\u201d which accounts for things like a new ladder and brush truck.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a 60-day review period to give community members an opportunity to review the impact fee study, ask questions and provide feedback. The county and city clerk both have copies of it, and those interested to be involved can contact those officials or the Cortez Fire Protection District.<\/p>\n

The review period ends in mid-February, and then Cortez Fire\u2019s board of directors \u201cwill make a final decision to move forward with implementation,\u201d Wilkinson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a date or time period set for the implementation, if so decided,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n