Caldwell leaders say a new fire district could provide greater taxing authority to fund staffing, maintain service levels and keep pace with rising call volumes

By Noah Daly
The Idaho Statesman

CALDWELL, Idaho — Caldwell leaders are considering creating a new fire district to replace the city’s fire department.

City Council members on Aug. 3 voted down a proposed public safety levy and instead decided to pursue the creation of an independent fire district.

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City officials say a new state law makes the move the best long-term solution to keep pace with the city’s rapid growth.

“This is our path toward sustainability as an entity,” Fire Chief Bryan Daniels told the Idaho Statesman.

The proposal would allow the department to capture property tax revenue that cities cannot collect under Idaho’s current budget laws while giving the fire department its own governing board and taxing authority, Daniels said.

The proposal comes after discussions to have the Caldwell Fire Department annexed into the Caldwell Rural Fire District stalled. Daniels said rural fire district commissioners believed the city was moving too quickly and that absorbing an 83-person department with a budget of roughly $14 million was too large an undertaking in the proposed timeframe.

City officials also recently decided against asking voters this fall to approve a public safety levy that would have funded additional police and fire services. Daniels said there was not enough time to educate residents before absentee ballots are mailed ahead of the November 2026 election.

Instead, city leaders are now studying the creation of a new fire district that would serve residents inside Caldwell’s city limits.

Unlike the proposed merger between the Nampa and Kuna fire districts, Caldwell’s plan would create an entirely new taxing district rather than combine existing agencies. The new district would operate independently of City Hall with its own elected commissioners and budget authority.

A merger between Caldwell City Fire and the Caldwell Rural Fire District was floated during City Council meetings in July but was rejected.

“If we annex the city’s fire department, we’re not going to be able to maintain the level of funding that they’re currently getting from the city,” Administrative Fire Chief for the Caldwell Rural Fire District Mark Wendelsdorf said. “That loss of revenue has to be made up somewhere because we have to have a balanced budget, so both (the rural fire district and the department) would have to cut back our services.”

Daniels said the proposal to create a new district is largely driven by House Bill 959, approved by the Idaho Legislature earlier this year. Under the law, fire and EMS districts can collect revenue tied to growth beyond the traditional 8% (up to 15%) annual budget cap that applies to cities.

“The city, by retaining their city fire department, is leaving money on the table for fire protection services,” Daniels said.

Mayor Eric Phillips said creating a fire district would also allow firefighters to focus solely on fire protection instead of competing with other city departments for funding.

“In a city like this, they have to compete with police,” Phillips said. “They’ll still be our Caldwell Fire Department. They’ll just be their own entity.”

Fire protection has become an increasingly significant budget issue as Caldwell continues to grow. Increasing volumes of calls have placed a strain on the department’s three active stations, according to Daniels and Phillips.

Daniels said the department operates on a budget of about $14.7 million. The city’s initial proposal for fiscal year 2026-27 would have increased that to about $17 million, largely to fund staffing for the city’s new Fire Station 4 and other capital needs. Portions of that request have since been reduced during the budget process, he said.

Phillips said staffing Fire Station 4 has become a top priority because opening a station without firefighters could affect emergency response and potentially increase homeowners’ insurance costs.

“If we get it built, and there’s no one to staff it, now we’ve got to backtrack,” Phillips said.

Daniels said Caldwell’s firefighters are already responding to high call volumes while covering a city that’s grown just under 30% since 2020. In some parts of Caldwell, response times are approaching eight minutes, well above the department’s goal of arriving within four minutes, he said.

Without additional funding, Daniels said the city could eventually face difficult decisions.

“The men and women of the Caldwell Fire Department are some of the busiest in the Treasure Valley,” he said. “We’re not in a position to have a reduction in service, and if we continue on this trajectory, we’re talking about layoffs or not being able to staff an entire fire station. Creating a new fire district is a way to prevent that.”

If the proposal moves forward, county commissioners would first need to approve placing the measure on the ballot. Caldwell voters would then decide in May 2027 whether to create the new fire district.

If approved, the city would reduce the portion of property taxes it collects for fire protection while the new district would levy taxes to operate independently, Daniels said, adding that officials have not yet calculated what that shift would mean for the average homeowner’s tax bill.

How would creating an independent fire district affect staffing, response times and service levels in your community?

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