The Caldwell Fire Department, which has operated within the city since 1891, could separate from the city and become its own district, an idea discussed at a recent city council meeting and budget workshop.
The potential change is driven by Idaho House Bill 389, which caps how much new tax revenue a city can collect based on new growth at 8%. As Caldwell grows rapidly and demands for emergency services increase, the city cannot collect enough revenue to keep up.
Fire Chief Bryan Daniels says there is a few reasons that this is a possible idea. “It would enable us to not have to compete with tax dollars that cities have to distribute between parks, police, streets, etc,” he said…