Proposed Budget

The preliminary budget was developed by members of our fire department with the assistance and guidance of Colton Fire Chief (and long time property owner) Chief Gary Anderson. Since Colton is a small RFPD, Chief Andersons input and participation was very helpful in developing a realistic operating budget. The budget was developed based on incurring the least cost to provide the most service.

Once the budget was determined a tax rate to support the budget was calculated. This process involved determining the boundaries and the assessed value of the property within those boundaries.

The total assessed value of the property in the boundaries of the proposed district was determined by the Jefferson County assessor to be approximately $40 million.

To determine the appropriate tax rate the budget of $62,900 was divided by the total
assessed value in thousands. An additional calculation to account for tax payment discounts
and delinquencies must also be made. The tax rate required to fund the proposed budget
is $1.65 per $1,000 assessed valuation

The budget will allow for:
1) Increased training and safety
2) Desperately needed operational, communication, safety, and training
equipment.
3) Contingency fund for emergency operations example; Air operations, tanker retardant drops.
4) Capital equipment fund for ongoing purchase of new apparatus and equipment. We currently have no long range or short range plan on replacing aging apparatus or equipment.

Download Three Rivers Rural Fire Protection District Five-Year Financial Plan