Property Taxes: Metro District tax revenues are limited by a fixed mill levy. This mill levy cannot be changed without an official election. There is currently no plan or need to adjust the mill levy. The mill levy is detailed on your annual property tax statement from El Paso County. Property taxes, including specific ownership taxes, are income tax deductible, whereas HOA dues are not, and only those District members having a platted and deeded site pay property taxes. Note that not all Metro District members are HOA members, and vice-versa. In 2012, property values have typically been adjusted downwards due to state and national economic conditions, so it is anticipated that tax revenues to the Metro District will also be down in 2012.
CPHOA: These were primarily “pass-through” amounts for heavy equipment leases that were done via the Metro District to take advantage of governmental entity tax status, interest rate competitiveness and ease/consistency of administration (e.g. asset capitalization). These were extremely high in 2010 due to lease buy-outs approved by the CPHOA; see 1998 Lease Agreement for heavy machinery. Note that in 2011 and 2012 that are no equipment lease pass-through amounts. There remains a pass-through for insurance on two vehicles sometimes used by the CPVFD in order to take advantage of better insurance rates for public use vehicles.
Donations and Fundraising: Donations of equipment, supplies and cash for the fire department are made to the Metro District so that donors may be eligible for charitable tax deductions. Fundraising revenue comes through the sale of items such as calendars, firewood, cookbooks, etc. that are prepared and sold through the efforts of the Fire Department and Auxiliary. In proposed annual budgets, these are purely estimated.
Grants: The Metro District acts on behalf of the CPVFD to sponsor and administer grant funds for the department. Grants have become an important source of revenue, but in proposed budgets, these revenues can only be estimated and are "contingent" upon being awarded the grants for which we apply. This is an accounting mechanism recommended by the District’s CPA’s. These estimates may or may not actually occur, either as revenue or expenditures.
Administration: These include fees and legal, accounting and miscellaneous costs associated with the administration of Metro District funds, as well as fundraising expenditures for calendars, cookbooks, etc.
CPHOA: These are "pass-through" expenditures described above. There are no more equipment lease expenditures.
Multi-use Building Expenses (MUB): Under an agreement with the CPHOA, the Metro District now assumes all costs for operating and maintaining the MUB.
Fire Protection Expenses: The Metro District’s primary function is fire protection and expenditures in this category reflect that. "Supplies, training, and other" expenses include matching local funds for grants and expenditures that are contingent upon receiving grants. Note that in 2012, the intergovernmental agreement with the City of Manitou Springs no longer requires an expenditure of $10,000.
Capital Outlay: In the past, expenditures in this category largely consisted of installing cisterns and road/house signs and posts necessary to guide emergency responders. However, signage needs have stabilized and ongoing cistern installations have reached a point of diminishing returns until a better water delivery infrastructure is in place. At the present time, these expenditures have been suspended and the money is being “saved” towards the future purchase of an additional water tender to better move water between water sources and a fire. This will move the Department forward toward the goal of improving the District’s ISO rating and thereby reduce insurance premiums for homeowners.
The Metro Board of Directors, in conjunction with the CPVFD, continues to evaluate and identify more effective uses for revenue, consistent with its fire protection function, and at its discretion has adjusted or created budgeted allocations across existing or new expense categories. An example of this is CPVFD efforts to improve water delivery and overall fire protection capabilities in the Park. In addition, certain expenditures dependent upon grants are also included in this category. These may or may not actually occur contingent upon receiving grants.
