In what has become a familiar scenario, Dunklin Fire Protection District residents voted down two tax increases the district was seeking on April 4.
Proposition S, a tax increase of 25 cents per $100 assessed valuation that would have been phased in over three years, needed a simple majority for approval and failed by a margin of 606 votes in favor to 709 against (46.08 percent to 53.92 percent).
In addition, Proposition P, a property tax increase of 5 cents per $100 assessed valuation, which also needed a simple majority vote, lost by 481 yes votes (36.91 percent) to 822 no votes (63.09 percent).
The district’s current tax rate is 66.01 cents per $100 assessed valuation. If both propositions had passed, once Proposition S had been fully implemented, the district’s overall tax rate would have increased by 30 cents to 96.01 cents per $100 assessed valuation.
The April election marked the fifth year in a row voters rejected the district’s request for tax increases.
Prop S
Chief Brad Williams said he was disappointed with the outcome, although he gained some measure of solace in seeing that Proposition S, which would have generated additional revenue to keep the district’s equipment up to standard, did better this time around.
“Overall, the vote for Proposition S was closer than it has been. Over the last couple of years, we’ve gained more support for it,” he said.
Williams said the district is trying its best to make do with the revenue it has, but it is finding it more and more difficult to keep patching up equipment rather than replacing it.
“We’ve got aging equipment and it’s going to need to be replaced,” Williams said. “We’ve sent equipment out to be repaired and been told they can’t do it because it’s too old or not in good enough condition.”
Prop P
Proposition P would have provided funding to improve the district’s pension plan for its employees.
Williams said that proposition fared worse than the other.
“The support for that is going the other way,” he said.
Williams said district officials must decide if and when the district will go back to voters asking for a tax increase.
“We’ll have to talk to (the Dunklin Fire District Board of Directors) about it,” he said.