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FALCON, COLO. -- The Falcon Fire Prevention District is asking for help from voters.

Falcon Fire District is funded entirely by portions of property taxes and, by state law, is forbidden to collect sales tax. Due to decreased property values, the annexation of the Banning Lewis Ranch by the City of Colorado Springs and expired federal grants, the fire district could lose thousands of dollars in 2012.

Ballot 5E could prevent that.

"What we are asking is not to go backwards and to keep what we have," Falcon Fire Chief Trent Harwig said.

The ballot initiative is  a proposed mill levy adjustment that would increase property taxes for homeowners in Falcon. Currently, an owner of a $150,000 home pays $5.68 per month for fire and medical emergency services. If 5E is approved in November, they would pay $8.57 per month, a $2.89 increase.

"It's less than a cup of coffee per month," Matt Seube, a current Falcon firefighter and member of The Friends of Falcon Fire Committee, said. "We're really asking, 'Can we have a cup of coffee to sustain your services?'"

Harwig said the tax increase is really not that much of an increase at all.

"The reality of it is, the homeowners will still pay less in property tax next year than they did this year, even if they approve of this fire district mill levy adjustment," he said.

According to a brochure made by The Friends of Falcon Fire Committee, a group created to educate the community about ballot 5E, the Falcon Fire Department currently provides emergency services at the lowest mill rate among like departments in El Paso County. It is also the third-busiest fire department in the county.

Chief Harwig said if 5E is passed, it would supply funding to help maintain the services that Falcon Fire Department provide.

"We're not asking voters for more money to hire more staff, or money to buy more stations or more equipment" he said. "This is simply to offset the losses to keep what we currently have."

However, if the mill levy is not approved by voters, Harwig said the fire district will have to lay off employees.

"We have about a $2 million budget," Harwig said. "Like other businesses, about 75 percent of that goes toward paying our staff. If the mill levy doesn't pass, what you would immediately see is a reduction in the size of the staff."

Though proposing a tax increase is usually a tough sell, the Falcon Fire District hopes voters will still help.

"We understand people are in a position where they've been out of work, but we're in the same position," Seube said.