Mason Osgood
KOTO news team hosted an Off the Record live broadcast at the Lone Cone Library on October 15th. Guests joined for a discussion on the two local ballot measures regarding the Norwood Public Schools and the Norwood Fire Protection District. Listen below to hear Todd Bissel, Norwood Public Schools superintendent, and John Metzger, Norwood Fire Protection District volunteer speak to the two ballot measures.
By Julia Caulfield
Photo: Priscilla Du Preez
Colorado voters will weigh in on a proposed ban on hunting mountain lions, sparking a debate that reflects deeper divisions across the state.
In this special statewide call-in show, we explore the ballot measure at the heart of this conversation, dive into the contrasting views on wildlife management and hunting, and examine how these issues can deepen the urban-rural divide in Colorado.
By Mason Osgood
This November, the Norwood Public School district is asking voters to help fund their future. Ballot Issue 5B is a mill levy increase that would fund a portion of a planned matching grant to renovate or rebuild the Norwood Public Schools.
Last year, the same ballot question was narrowly voted down. The proposed mill levy would increase property taxes depending on the type of property, ranging from commercial to agricultural. Superintendent Todd Bissel spoke to these increases at last week's Norwood School Board meeting.
Bissel says, “For property its going to be right around one hundred dollars for every hundred thousand, businesses it will be about four times that so per hundred thousand it will be four hundred”
That’s $100 dollars per $100,000 of property value, or for commercial property it's $400 per $100,000 of property value. Land is assessed differently, a fee per acre would be taxed, with different fees for the categories of dry land, flood agriculture, vacant land, and irrigated. If passed, these taxes would not be implemented until the matching grant is secured.
The $10 million bond would contribute matching funds to a state grant called the Building Excellent Schools Today, or BEST. The grant, if awarded, would either go to a complete rebuild of the school or a remodel of the existing building. Currently the Norwood high school has maintenance issues such as mold, and asbestos in locations. Land for a new school was secured in 2022 just across from the Lone Cone Library. Local resident, member of the Bond Committee, and parent, Makayla Gordon speaks to the specifics behind the BEST grant and bond.
Gordon says, “That it doesn’t really matter what way the school chooses to use the BEST grant application, its still going to cost the community a $10million dollar match no matter what the application looks like for the BEST grant. So it's important for us to pass it this year considering we don't know what its going to look like with the state property tax cuts that the legislature just approved.”
This ballot measure, paired with the associated matching grant funds, would be around $60 million dollars to the Norwood School District to ensure the stability of the future. For parent, and Bond Committee member Amanda Pierce, the most important tool for Norwood children is a healthy school environment.
Pierce says, “Norwood students still deserve a great education with the tools to get that great education, the most important tool is that healthy environment, and I just can’t reiterate that enough that today’s children are our future leaders.”
Information regarding the Norwood Public School bond measure can be found by following Friends Supporting Norwood Schools on Facebook, or attending their upcoming informational meetings on October 1st, and 10th at 6:30pm at Norwood Public School. KOTO community radio is also hosting a live off the record discussion on both the school district mill levy and fire protection district mill levy on October 15 at the Lone Cone Library. Find more information on our 2024 election coverage by heading to KOTO.org
By Mason Osgood
This November’s election, voters decide on a mill levy increase to fund the Norwood Fire Protection District and their operations in San Miguel and Montrose County. The Norwood Fire Protection district encompasses over 800 square miles in these two counties, providing EMS, fire, and wildland fire response year round. The district employs several full time paramedics, and many part-time and volunteer firefighters across the district. Currently, the district operates on a little over four hundred thousand dollars a year, with funds primarily from property taxes. And despite their service area doubling in 2023, they only received an additional forty five thousand dollars from the included taxes.
Recently Governor Jared Polis signed a law that property tax rates. While funding for school districts remains the same, fire districts receive less money this coming year. The mill levy would increase property taxes roughly $37 dollars per $100,000 dollars of assessed property value. For Norwood, that means a reduction from four hundred thousand to three hundred and eight thousand dollars of tax revenue a year. The Norwood Fire Protection District is seeking to increase funding from the proposed mill levy. This money would fund necessary equipment upgrades such as ambulances, medical supplies, and wages for the full and part time employees of the district.
The Norwood Fire protection district staff was present at an informational meeting in Redvale last Saturday September 21st. Chief John Bockrath led the meeting, and answered questions from Redvale residents who were concerned about what the mill levy increase would go to. Bockrath spoke to the changing nature of fire districts.
Bockrath says, “However, the primary reason for this is people, is personnel. Things have changed so much over the years we dont have the volunteers that we used to have, people dont wanna work for nothing
He added, “In the last two years alone, over 2000 volunteer fire companies across the country have either been absorbed by municipalities or by counties, they have failed because they dont have the volunteer base they used to have”
Longtime Redvale resident Bruce Kerr attended the meeting and questioned why equipment such as ambulances are so expensive lately, with new ambulances costing over three hundred thousand dollars.
Kerr stated, “Today we’re talking millions and billions, how did that happen?”
In attendance with Chief Bockrath, was the rest of the protection district crew, some of whom have been responding to emergency calls for years,
Bockrath says,“Nancy, Nancy is 72 years old, Nancy is one of my top responders. ‘She took me to the hospital’”
That’s Kerr, who at 84 years old, acknowledges the importance of emergency services, but is concerned about how expensive these services are lately.
If the mill levy does not pass during the election in November, the protection district would be forced to cut some of their staff, and availability of services would be stressed, and in an area of over 800 square miles, it would inevitably increase the response time of 911 calls. Bockrath explains that he’s committed to making sure emergency services remain consistent in this region.
He says,“Its critical that we get people because when you call 911 you expect somebody to show up”
Information regarding the Norwood Fire Protection District Mill Levy increase can be found by searching those words in google, or stopping by the Norwood fire station during operating hours. K-O-T-O community radio is also hosting a live off the record discussion on both the school district mill levy and fire protection district mill levy on October 15. Find more information on our 2024 election coverage by heading to KOTO.org
