In June 2026, the board of the East Grand County Fire Protection District met to decide how to pay for its future. The minutes from that meeting record that board members "generally agreed that a sales tax would provide a more stable revenue source while distributing a portion of the tax burden to visitors." In November, voters approved the sales tax and turned down the companion measure that would have let the district's property tax revenue grow faster. If you own a ski-in ski-out condo or home at Winter Park Resort and rent it by the night, the district's next layer of funding will be added to your guests' bills, while the district's property tax revenue stays under its existing growth limit.
The new tax starts January 1, 2027. Every booking with a stay after that date falls under it.
What the November 3 ballot did
Sky-Hi News reported two outcomes for East Grand Fire. Ballot Issue 6D, a 0.28% district sales tax, passed. It takes effect January 1, 2027, has no expiration date, and the district projects it will raise $875,000 a year. The tax covers taxable short-term lodging, restaurant meals, alcoholic beverages, clothing, sporting goods, furniture and electronics. Anything exempt from Colorado's state sales tax is also exempt from this one, including qualifying groceries, prescription medications, residential energy, gasoline and diesel.
Ballot Issue 6E failed. It would have waived the district's 5.25% annual limit on property tax revenue growth without adding a new tax or raising the rate. Because it failed, the limit stays. If the district's property tax revenue grows past 5.25% in a year, the district has to issue a temporary tax credit or temporarily lower its rate.
These results are unofficial. Sky-Hi News reported that Grand County's canvass board plans to certify them on November 20, 2026.
The district covers about 209 square miles of the Fraser Valley, from the top of Berthoud Pass to Red Dirt Hill, and includes Winter Park, Fraser and Tabernash. Its 2026–2031 strategic plan lists Winter Park Resort as one of its service areas, along with Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA, Devil's Thumb Ranch and Resort, and Young Life Crooked Creek Ranch.
Where 0.28% sits on a Winter Park lodging bill
The Town of Winter Park's sales tax page sets the town's rate on lodging stays shorter than 30 days at 9.0%. That is 4% general sales tax, 3% accommodation tax and 2% Transit & Trails tax. The town also says required charges such as cleaning fees and resort fees are taxed. Its rate summary has been in effect since July 1, 2024. The town's figure leaves out the 2.9% state tax, the 1.3% Grand County tax and any other taxing jurisdiction.
The table uses a hypothetical $1,000 taxable lodging bill to show the layers named so far. Other jurisdictions are left out.
| Layer | Rate | On a $1,000 stay |
|---|---|---|
| Town of Winter Park, lodging | 9.0% | $90.00 |
| State of Colorado | 2.9% | $29.00 |
| Grand County | 1.3% | $13.00 |
| Subtotal through 2026 | 13.2% | $132.00 |
| East Grand Fire, starting Jan. 1, 2027 | 0.28% | $2.80 |
| Subtotal starting 2027 | 13.48% | $134.80 |
On a single stay, $2.80 per $1,000 is a small amount, and the board knew Winter Park's rates were already high when it chose this route. Its March 25, 2026 minutes record concern about the sales tax rates already in place in Winter Park, along with a discussion of whether a mill levy increase might be more feasible. The board weighed that concern and still chose the sales tax. To see why, look at what each option would have cost owners.
How the board got from a mill levy to a sales tax
Board minutes from three meetings this year show the decision taking shape:
- March 25, 2026. Directors discussed concern about Winter Park's existing sales tax rates and whether a mill levy increase might be more feasible.
- May 27, 2026. The board considered three options: a sales tax, a mill levy, and lifting the district's existing 10.5-mill levy cap. It preferred separate ballot questions so voters could choose among them.
- June 24, 2026. A straw poll favored a 0.25% sales tax paired with a TABOR de-Brucing measure. Members disagreed about when to seek a 1.0-mill increase. Some wanted to wait until staffing needs grew, and others pointed to rising equipment costs, staffing needs and inflation as reasons to move now.
The June minutes also include two facts that explain the timing. The district has not sought a mill levy increase in more than 20 years, and financial projections showed that keeping the current levy could lead to operating deficits around 2030 to 2032. Board members expected a sales tax to reduce voter fatigue compared with more frequent property tax increases. The rate on the November ballot was 0.28%, up from the 0.25% in the June straw poll. No mill levy increase was on the ballot. The de-Brucing question appeared as 6E, and voters turned it down.
Why a small rate still shifts the balance
The district's 2025 audited financial statements show $4,078,331 in property tax revenue for 2025, out of $5,873,940 in total revenue. That means property owners paid about 69% of the district's 2025 revenue. The projected $875,000 a year from the new sales tax equals about 21% of that 2025 property tax total. Much of it will come from people who are not property owners, including lodging guests and anyone buying a meal or ski gear in the district.
With 6E rejected, the district's property tax revenue keeps its ceiling. That revenue can grow no more than 5.25% a year before the district must issue a temporary credit or lower its rate. The two outcomes push in the same direction. The district's revenue from property tax has a limit on its growth, and the new sales tax has no expiration date. Future growth in the district's funding will lean more on guests and shoppers than it has before.
The resort base is where the costs are rising
In 2025 the district ran four stations with 40 firefighters and officers and answered 524 calls for service. The plan says districts like this one usually switch to full-time career response staff at about 700 calls a year, and it projects East Grand Fire could reach that level within four years. It also says the need for night and weekend coverage "is already evident," and it plans to hire 4 to 6 more firefighters to bridge the gap.
The strategic plan says more development in the tax increment financing areas will raise call volume in the Lonetree Station District, Berthoud Pass, Winter Park Resort, Old Town and the Headquarters Station District. It estimates that a dedicated 24/7 crew would cost about $1.53 million a year for staffing alone, before training, apparatus, maintenance, fuel or buildings.
At the projected $875,000 a year, the new tax would pay for about 57% of that one crew's estimated staffing cost. Winter Park Resort is on the plan's list of growing call areas. The new tax is designed to collect some of the money for that growth from the guests who come to the resort, through what they spend on lodging and meals.
What ski-in ski-out owners can confirm before January
For an owner who rents by the night, a few dates and figures are now settled:
- Effective date. The 0.28% district tax starts January 1, 2027. It applies to taxable short-term lodging, and Winter Park taxes required charges such as cleaning and resort fees on lodging stays.
- Certification. Grand County's canvass board plans to certify the results November 20, 2026.
- Town filing. Winter Park's 9.0% town lodging tax cannot be filed through the state's SUTS system. It has to be filed through the town's MUNIRevs portal or on the town's paper lodging form.
- Rate lookup. The Colorado Department of Revenue's sales tax rate lookup covers state, county, municipal and special district taxes. It links to the department's rate spreadsheet for July through December 2026.
Property managers and rental platforms set up their tax settings ahead of time, so an owner who has already taken bookings for President's Day or spring break should know those stays fall after January 1.
For a buyer looking at a ski-in ski-out unit as a rental, the vote affects two parts of the projections. The total tax added to a nightly rate goes up a little. The fire district's total property tax revenue stays limited to 5.25% annual growth unless voters lift that limit later. The district's own projections show its needs rising through the early 2030s, and voters kept that revenue limit in place.
FAQ
Does the new tax raise my property tax? No. 6D is a sales tax. Voters rejected 6E, so the district's 5.25% annual limit on property tax revenue growth stays in place.
Will groceries for my unit cost more? Qualifying groceries for home consumption are exempt, as are residential energy, gasoline and diesel.
What is the money for? Sky-Hi News reported that the district plans to use it for recruiting volunteer and paid firefighters, wildfire mitigation, emergency response capability, and buying and maintaining equipment.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how these rates apply to your property with your accountant or the taxing authority.
If you're working out what a ski-in ski-out rental at Winter Park Resort will earn and cost once the 2027 tax is in place, Kristen L Meyer & Associates can walk you through the numbers, unit by unit. Request a Market Consultation, and we'll go through the full cost of owning at the base with you.