Commissioners Postpone Decision on New MV EMS District
Adams County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met with Meadows Valley Rural Fire District Commissioners (MVRFD) on Monday, April 20 to continue discussions on a proposed new ambulance district. MVRFD Commissioners had gathered signatures for a petition to put their proposal to dissolve the current district, create a new district and put the decision up to a vote. The BOCC have postponed a decision and continued a Public Hearing to multiple meeting dates to further discuss the proposal since March 10, 2026.
The initial public hearing held by the BOCC back in March was for the purpose of gathering public opinion on the EMS District proposal. The original petition was made with the hope of having the public vote in May. The BOCC have said they intend to make a decision in time to put a vote on the November ballot. Submissions for November must meet a deadline of August 28.
The meeting was attended by about 30 people and included lengthy discussion as well as further public comment and questions. Main concerns and questions expressed by BOCC members included budgeting, a potential levy increase and deannexing or keeping Brundage in the district.
One concern discussed in prior gatherings was wording of legislation related to levy rates on any EMS District set up after 2020. The language seemed to say if a new district was created it would automatically increase the current levy rate to .0004%. Adams County Prosecuting Attorney Peter Donovan clarified after confirming with the state tax commission, that the reading should be that the new district can increase the levy rate to .0004% but do not have to.
A point of contention during the meeting occurred when Commissioner Viki Purdy asked if Meadows Valley would allow Council EMS Director Cody Murphy to come and do an audit of their equipment and offer suggestions for areas of cost savings and efficiency. MVRFD Commissioners balked at the idea and emphasized that all equipment used by the current EMS district is owned by the MV Fire Department.
Discussion returned to this topic multiple times seeking clarification of the information being sought. Purdy said the Fire Department’s annual audit report does not show all of the information she was looking for. Later, Fire Commissioner Tracy Peterson noted that she spoke with Murphy the week prior to “clear the air” after hearing rumors and wanting to “make sure there’s no tension”. Purdy mentioned the recent assessment and adjustments being made at Council EMS and requesting transparency of where EMS money is being used.
Commissioner Daren Ward said, “I think they do have transparency” and Peterson added a request to write out the information sought and said they would provide answers. Fire Chief Doug Buys also added that someone could come in and say the job could be done with cheaper tools, but that would be an insult to his team and the local citizens.
Another concern of the BOCC continues to be a proposal to remove Brundage from the district coverage area. Donovan said a change to coverage areas of an existing ambulance district would be very difficult and require a petition by 25% of the voters along with challenging documentation. MVRFD representatives said that was part of why they wanted to dissolve the existing district and start a new one.
Adams County Commissioner Joe Iveson said he had lots of questions, was there to learn, and was not ready to vote on anything. He said it was worrisome to him that the Fire Department owns everything because if they decide to, “they could kick EMS to the curb and have to come up with their own equipment, I’m not saying that would happen, but it could.”
He said “I’ve learned a lot today and this stuff takes time. It’s our due diligence to make sure we’re doing the correct thing for the tax payers and make sure that we don’t burden you in the future or mess this up, right?” Peterson responded, “I understand that Joe, but just please keep in mind that all we’re asking you to do is let the public vote on it.”
The MVRFD’s attorney, Bill Punkoney, suggested toward the middle of the meeting that the BOCC write out questions for the MVRFD to respond to, saying he thought that would move the needle forward more quickly. Iveson said he would gather questions and would also ask Murphy to send questions.
The meeting was adjourned after confirmation of a meeting date to continue the hearing on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at the Meadows Valley Fire Station at 6:00 p.m..
