EMERGENCY

Now, South Metro Fire Rescue covers 560,000 people over 285 square miles, stretching over much of the south Denver metro area after many re protection agencies combined over the years to form today’s agency.

It now covers many cities and towns, including Bow Mar, Castle Pines, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Fox eld, Greenwood Village, Littleton, Lone Tree and Parker, along with nearby unincorporated portions of Arapahoe, Je erson, and Douglas counties. “Unincorporated” means an area doesn’t sit within a city or town.

Since the agency’s start decades ago, its original service plan was amended a couple times to account for the ability to take on debt and to make sure all its services were re ected, Dell’Orfano said. ose amendments occurred in 1983 and 1996.

“As of right now, we don’t have debt, and we haven’t used debt to fund major capital projects for several years,” Dell’Orfano said. “Capital” costs include paying for re trucks, re stations and ambulances, for example.

e proposed amendment won’t change the way the agency spends money, and it won’t change South Metro Fire’s hiring ability or the pay that employees receive, Dell’Orfano said.

South Metro Fire’s property tax rate — the mill levy that property owners in the re agency’s service area pay — would not increase as a result of the amended plan.

Some residents in the area did see small changes to their property tax rates in recent years when elections in 2018 decided that the City of Littleton, the nearby Littleton Fire Protection District and the Highlands Ranch Metro District would be absorbed into South Metro Fire Rescue.

( e Littleton Fire Protection District had included west Centennial, among other areas near Littleton.)

At the time, for example, Highlands Ranch homeowners saw a net property tax increase of 2.25 said about receiving results soon. mills after being absorbed by South Metro Fire — or about $6.75 more per month on a house valued at $500,000.

Contractors performed the first round of testing, which focused on bathrooms, on Jan. 13 and the city received results on Jan. 18.

Zeal Environmental, a company that provides environmental testing and industrial hygiene services for asbestos, mold, lead-based paint and methamphetamine, is contracted to do the work for the city.

The company declined to comment on what goes into the process of specifically testing for meth in public facilities.

After the city receives the results, they will determine next steps regarding further testing and remediation, Narde said.

But back then, those three entities knew they would eventually have needed to raise taxes to maintain their current services if they didn’t join forces with South Metro Fire, Dell’Orfano said.

Cunningham Fire Protection District, which served a part of Arapahoe County, also joined South Metro Fire in the past several years, but the Cunningham area saw a tax decrease as a result, Dell’Orfano said.

Taxes weren’t the only factor at play in the transitions, he noted.

“If all else was the same, there would have been no reason to ask their voters to pay more,” Dell’Orfano said. “It was also determined there would be improved service, improved re ghter working conditions, better nancial stability and a more sustainable organization into the future.” e Douglas County commissioners will meet at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at 100 ird St. in Castle Rock. e Arapahoe County commissioners will meet 9:30 a.m. Feb. 28 at 5334 S. Prince St. in Littleton. Je erson County’s commissioners will meet 8 a.m. Feb. 28 at 100 Je erson County Parkway in Golden.

Leaders in the three counties over which South Metro Fire Rescue spreads will hold public meetings on the proposed change in the coming weeks.