The Estes Valley Fire Protection District plans to invest $36,000 this year to help neighborhood wildfire mitigation projects move forward after county funding fell short of demand.
The funding is from an extension of a 1% supplemental sales tax, referred to as 1A, which Estes Park voters approved on April 2, 2024. 7% of the funds are allocated to the EVFPD for wildfire mitigation. The tax generates approximately $4.4 million annually, and 7% is allocated to the EVFPD for wildfire mitigation.
The funding, proposed as a pilot program, would supplement grants awarded through the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management’s Community Mitigation Grant program and provide assistance to additional projects that otherwise would receive no funding.
“This is about recognizing and supporting the continuous work being done in our community for hazard mitigation,” EVFPD Community Risk Reduction Specialist Logan Lasley said in a statement. “One of the quickest ways to stifle progress with this type of work is inconsistency over the years.”
The county received 41 applications for the 2026 grant cycle, including 22 projects located within the fire district’s boundaries. Applicants countywide requested nearly $342,000, while Estes Valley projects alone sought more than $186,000.
However, Larimer County’s program budget this year is approximately $65,000, down from $100,000 in 2025.
Because available funding falls far short of demand, county evaluators selected seven Estes Valley projects to receive awards. Other applications were either deemed ineligible, such as those submitted by businesses or individual homeowners, or ranked lower during the county’s review process.
Lasley said EVFPD reviewed the applications and scoring conducted by the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management and agreed with the county’s assessments.
After meeting with Larimer County OEM Mitigation Coordinator Josh Roberts, district officials developed a plan to stretch local 1A funding across multiple projects.
The funds are from an extension of a 1% supplemental sales tax, known as 1A. Voters originally approved the supplemental tax in 2015 and, in 2024, approved extending it for an additional 10 years. The tax generates approximately $4.4 million annually, of which 7% is allocated to the EVFPD for wildfire mitigation.
Under the proposal, EVFPD would supplement each of the seven county-funded Estes Valley projects so that every recipient receives at least $5,000 in total grant funding. For example, if the county awards a project $3,000, the district would contribute an additional $2,000.
County officials are not fully funding any of the selected projects, and even with EVFPD’s contributions, none of the recipients will receive the full amount requested.
District officials said increasing awards to at least $5,000 will allow neighborhoods to complete larger mitigation projects and help sustain long-term community participation in wildfire risk-reduction efforts.
The district also proposes providing $3,000 grants to seven additional Estes Valley projects that scored well in the county’s review but received no county funding due to budget limitations.
Lasley said those projects were considered strong applications and deserving of support despite the county’s inability to fund them.
In total, the district’s contribution would support 14 neighborhood mitigation projects throughout the Estes Valley.
The effort reflects EVFPD’s growing emphasis on wildfire preparedness and community risk reduction. District officials said they hope the pilot program will strengthen partnerships between the fire district, Larimer County, and local neighborhoods while helping residents continue work to reduce wildfire hazards around homes and communities.
Rather than simply encouraging mitigation efforts, Lasley said, the district wants to be “a genuine partner for risk reduction” throughout the Estes Valley.