To assist voters to make informed choices in the June 2 municipal election (rescheduled from April) and to accommodate those who wish to cast absentee ballots, the Leader will present its Voters Guide on its website. Each day, a new contested race or ballot issue will be posted at myleaderpaper.com.
Absentee voting for the June 2 election is open now. Absentee voters can cast their ballots at the Jefferson County Administration Center, 729 Maple St., Hillsboro, or by mail. The deadline to request a mail-in absentee ballot is May 20. To request a mail-in ballot or for other information concerning the election, call the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office at 636-797-5486.
Today, we focus on a tax increase proposal sought by the Hillsboro Fire Protection District. Tomorrow, a look at a ballot issue for the Big River Ambulance District.
The Hillsboro Fire Protection District is seeking a 50-cent tax levy increase proposal on the June 2 ballot, mainly to cover the cost of adding firefighters but also to help fund construction of a new fire station to replace House 1.
That house would be built on a 1.8-acre piece of property along Business 21 the Hillsboro R-3 School District plans to sell to the fire district.
The property is part of the 45 acres the school district bought for $990,000 from Comtrea last fall. The small parcel sits between Bridle Ridge Driveway and the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro and is across the street from Hillsboro Fire’s Station No. 1 at 120 Fifth St
Comtrea called the property Bridle Ridge, although it is still commonly known as “the Hall Farm.”
R-3 Superintendent Jon Isaacson said school district and fire district officials reached a tentative agreement for R-3 to sell the property to the fire district for $76,500.
Since the sale is between two public entities, the district is not required to place the property up for bid, Isaacson said.
Fire district needs more space at Station No. 1
Gaudet said Station 1 needs to be replaced because it was built decades ago and does not offer enough room for the district’s present-day needs.
“It’s been part of our long-range planning process to attempt to build a new fire station,” Gaudet said. “The building is incredibly small. The current facility was built in the 1970s. We have very limited space to store trucks. We have limited office space. We have limited meeting room space.
He said the district does not yet have a funding source to build a new house, but he hopes district voters will approve the 50-cent tax levy so it can proceed with the project. He said the tax measure would require a simple majority for passage.
The district’s current tax rate is $0.5217 per $100 assessed valuation.
“We currently have the lowest tax rate in Jefferson County and St. Louis County for a fire district,” Gaudet said.
He said the district currently has nine full-time firefighters, and adding more to the roster is the main reason for the proposed tax increase.
“We need to add full-time firefighters, with some money put aside for a new firehouse,” Gaudet said. “We’ve had a major increase in calls over the years with the growth of Hillsboro, obviously. In 2005, we ran about 580 calls for the year. This year, we’ll run about 1,000.
“If it passes, we would add five to six full-time firefighters, depending on the budget.”
Whether the tax levy passes or not, the district will keep the property, Gaudet said.
“It the tax increase does not pass, we will continue to provide the great level of services we provide,” he said. “We would keep the land for the future.”
Gaudet said the last time the district voters approved a tax increase was in 2002, when a 25-cent increase was approved.
Hillsboro Fire has two houses. The other is at 5750 Hwy. B.