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EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- Reduced revenues has the Black Forest Fire Department seeing red. Two of their major sources of funding: property tax revenue and billing for ambulance transport services have both declined. The department is in a budget shortfall in excess of $500,000.

"All of the easy cuts have already been made. The only substantial expense cut that's left to make is personnel, that's about 60 percent of our budget," Lt. Kathy Russell, Black Forest Fire Department, Public Information Officer, said.

To balance the budget they've got two options: cut costs by cutting six of their nine full-time firefighters in 2012, or maintain services by adding a 4.25 mill tax levy for fire department operations.

A mill levy is a percentage of the assessed value of your property.

But before the department makes any changes, they're letting Black Forest voters choose, putting the mill levy on the upcoming ballot.

"The fire department is crucial one, and if it means we need to support them with more money than a mill levy is appropriate," Angela Hill, Black Forest homeowner, said.

Not everyone was for the levy. Some people said they are in favor of staff cuts after several years of wasteful spending by the fire department.

Those cuts could push response times to up to 20 minutes, which in an a heavily wooded and rural area like Black Forest could be a setback for firefighters.