photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

A Douglas County Consolidated Fire District 1 vehicle is pictured in July 2022.

Leaders of a rural fire district are proposing a 2027 budget that would maintain service levels, however, they want Douglas County commissioners to consider up to $1.29 million in additional funding — and a property tax increase — to hire additional staff to meet service demands.

The proposed 2027 operating budget for Consolidated Fire District #1 – which provides fire protection, emergency medical response and rescue services in rural Douglas County and the City of Lecompton – totals about $2.46 million, a 2% decrease from the adopted 2026 budget, and it maintains the 6.0 mill levy, or property tax rate.

CFD#1 responds to more than 1,000 calls annually. It serves approximately 228 square miles in rural portions of central and northern Douglas County, operating 10 fire stations and maintaining thirty-eight emergency response apparatus.

While the base budget for 2027 does not include an increase to the property tax rate, CFD#1 is requesting that county commissioners consider the option of funding a staffing expansion – and the district has offered three potential ways to do so.

If commissioners decide to fund the biggest staffing expansion requested by the CFD#1, it would mean an increase of 4.10 mills – one mill is equal to $1 per every $1,000 of assessed property value. Any property tax increase for the CFD#1 would not not be countywide. The increase would only apply to properties located in the fire district, which was formed in 2020 with the consolidation of township fire departments in Wakarusa, Eudora, Clinton and Lecompton townships.

photo by: Contributed

Douglas county Consolidated Fire District #1 deploys the F500 foam trailer in July of 2022.

According to a memo from Chief John Mathis to commissioners, CFD#1 operates with a relatively low 6.0-mill levy – also known as a property tax rate – compared to other fire districts that cover a large geographic area.

Shawnee Heights – which has a mill levy of 16.3 mills – serves a similar population amount, it covers about half of the amount of coverage area as CFD#1, operates half as many stations and employs nearly three times as many full-time personnel.

“CFD#1 continues to experience operational challenges associated with declining volunteer availability, increasing call demand, overlapping incidents, firefighter health and safety, and limited supervisory and program management capacity,” the memo said.

In 2025, approximately 70% of calls for service received no volunteer response, the memo said, and this has increased the reliance on career and part-time personnel to maintain emergency response capabilities.

CFD#1 has submitted three strategic staffing options beyond the base 2027 proposed budget for commissioners to discuss on Wednesday. The options differ in how many new positions would be added and the resulting tax impact.

• Option A – a 4.10 mill increase with an estimated annual cost of $1.29 million, meaning an additional $141.76 in taxes per year on a $300,000 home. This option would add six full-time firefighters, three captains and one chief officer.

Jimmy Wilkins, mayor of the City of Lecompton, sent a letter of support to the county for this option, saying the city has great appreciation for the professionalism and dedication of the staff of CFD#1.

“Their service is vital to the well-being of our residents, businesses and visitors,” Wilkins said in the letter. “Ensuring they have the staffing necessary to perform their duties safely and effectively is a responsibility we all share.”

• Option B – a 3.61 mill increase, meaning an additional $124.55 in taxes per year on a $300,000 home. This option would add six firefighters and three captains. The estimated annual cost was not included in the memo to commissioners.

• Option C – a 2.15 mill increase, meaning an additional $74.18 in taxes per year on a $300,000 home. This option would add six firefighters. The estimated annual cost was not included in the memo to commissioners.

County commissioners will not make a decision on the proposed 2027 budget for CFD#1 on Wednesday, as this presentation will be given during a work session and is for informational purposes only.

However, commissioners will be directing staff on how to prepare the levy rate, which will determine whether or not staff will notify the Douglas County Clerk of the intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate – the property tax rate that generates the same amount of revenue as the previous year.

County commissioners currently have the adoption of the CFD#1 budget scheduled for Aug. 26. A public hearing will be held prior to the adoption of CFD#1’s 2027 budget.

The County Commission’s work session will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St.