I would like to thank Elizabeth Gill for writing a very clear and respectful letter addressing the upcoming Northern Lakes Fire District override levy. It voiced concerns that many, if not all taxpayers have in regard to paying more taxes.

We were advised by an independent consulting firm that NLFD needs to do something now or face a financial crisis down the road which will take years and be much more costly to recover from. The 44 percent increase is a major increase, absolutely. That is because we have only taken the 3 percent allowed by the county each year which barely covered increases in operating costs and did not allow us to plan for the future as well as we would like to.

Your idea of possibly remodeling station 3, or perhaps our station 7 (storage building) in the Garwood area is excellent and one that we have considered; however we are not allowed to expand either. Station 3 is on land that is loaned to us and Panhandle Health District has requirements that will not allow us to occupy either of them full time.

Unfortunately, at this current time and for at least the next several years, our fire district is required to receive most of its operating funding through levied taxes. Asking each property owner for a set amount may make sense but is not an option under state laws.

And finally, your point that major projects such as Hayden Canyon or large housing projects on the prairie “bear the burden” for their fire protection is an obvious, simple solution, but unfortunately not an option. They will have the same assessed levy rate as you or I but will not be assessed any “impact fees.” The amount we get will not change.

We are not suggesting that all is fair in the taxing world, but we will say the services provided by your fire district are essential and potentially lifesaving. All we can ask is that property owners get informed and then vote on Nov. 6. Visit www.northernlakesfire.com for additional levy information.

JIM LYON

Hayden