In a Colorado resort town 40 miles south of Rocky Mountain National Park, a steady influx of tourists and residents means more fires for Chief Todd Holzworth to fight. His East Grand Fire Protection District in Winter Park has twice as many emergencies as in 2010, but his budget has been slashed by a quarter since then. Despite a Colorado economy that has bounced back from the Great Recession to rank among the nation’s best, small fire districts like East Grand are fighting blazes with fewer taxpayer dollars, and things are likely to get worse. The reason is a property tax-limiting provision of the state Constitution, known as the Gallagher Amendment, that is squeezing public services in small-town Colorado and exacerbating the urban-rural economic divide. SPECIAL PROJECT This is the first of an occasional series of stories examining the Colorado Divide, the issues, values and attitudes that can leave rural and urban residents feeling they live in two Colorados. Next Sunday: Whether in the mountains or on the plains, rural residents wrestle with shifting economic and cultural landscapes. Though state lawmakers acknowledge that Gallagher poses a threat to rural communities, they are weeks away from ending a second consecutive legislative session without attempting a solution.