SFPD Funding - Taxes and Grants

For the December 9, 2025 Board meeting, budget discussions and resolutions will be made concerning the revision of the 2025 budget and the proposed 2026 budget. Please see the following supporting documents:

Proposed Changes to 2025 Budget

2026 Proposed Budget

Please remember that all Board meeting are open to the public, and everyone is encourage to attend. There is also an agenda item for any public comments at the beginning of each meeting. Meetings begin at 6:30 PM at Station #1, on the second Tuesday of each month.

As a property owner in Sunshine, you might wish to know how we are funded, and how those funds are used.

Here is Treasurer Dan Fischer's summary of finances for 2025 and into 2026:

2025 was a busy and successful year for the Sunshine Fire Protection District!

The District welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors: Jennifer Newton, Bill Stahl and Marc Koehler. We thank retiring members Jean Gatza, Pat Noyes and John Bauer for their service!

District voters approved a 6.1 mill increase in the District’s property tax levy, 4.1 mills of which will enable us to pay the Fire Chief part-time in 2026, and 2.0 mills will fund the Cistern Plan.

The District Board adopted the Cistern Plan, which anticipates constructing a hydrant from Station 2 to CR83 and eight new cisterns critical to supplying adequate water to the District and establishing a replacement cycle for existing cisterns as they outlive their useful life of approximately 30 years.

Approximately $42,000 in net revenue was earned through the dispatch of our equipment and firefighters to fight fires in other areas of the country. In addition to the revenue, this also provided invaluable experience to our firefighters.

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) awarded $181,574 in contracts for the Dry Gulch South Fire Mitigation Project, $165,114 of which was funded by grants.

The successful fiscal year allows a transfer of approximately $107,000 to the District’s Capital Reserve, versus $38,182 that was anticipated in the 2025 budget.

2026 Outlook

Income for 2026 is projected to be $439,512 for the General Fund, $414,327 for the Community Wildfire Protection Plan and $200,000 for the Cistern Fund. The total operating budget, all funds, is $1,005,220.

General Fund revenue includes property taxes of $208,512 (12.580 mills: 8.480 from the existing levy plus 4.1 mills of the 6.1 mill increased approved by District voters on November 4th, 2025), $150,000 from a Boulder County Emergency Services grant, $20,000 in interest earnings, $15,000 in donations, and a net $40,000 appropriation from Capital Reserves (this is to fund construction of the UTV garage – contributions for that project in 2024 are parked in the reserve).

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan includes $59,007 in property tax revenue and $355,320 in a grant for the Dry Gulch North mitigation project.

The Cistern Fund includes $ 33,150 from 2.000 mills of the approved increase in the mill levy, $19,179 from the Cistern Fund Reserves, and $147,671 transferred from General Fund Capital Reserves. This will allow initiation of the Cistern Plan approved by the Board in 2025.

District expenses listed in the 2025 Budget include:

General Fund:

General and Administration - insurance, utilities, and building maintenance: $55,800.
Operating Expenses - repairs and maintenance, non-capital equipment and training: $129,700. SFPD is a volunteer district but will pay a part-time chief beginning in 2026, facilitated by the property tax increase approved by District voters on November 4th, 2025. Other fire fighters are only paid when participating in paid State or Federal sponsored events.
Capital Expenses – major equipment purchases and project expenses: $248,500. This includes two replacement chassis for existing trucks funded by the Boulder County Emergency Services grant ($150,000) and an estimated $40,000 in District funds.
Transfer to Capital Reserve: $5,512. Contributions to the Capital Reserve anticipate future major equipment needs, and normally exceed the budgeted amount.

Community Wildfire Protection Plan Fund: $371,220 to fund the Dry Gulch North mitigation project.

Cistern Fund: $200.000 for water supply improvements – the first stage of implementing the Cistern Plan. It will include construction of the hydrant from Station 2 to CR 83, initial surveys and easement acquisition of sites in the Cistern Plan, and participation in construction of a joint private/community cistern if practical.