Voters in the Valle Ambulance District will be asked to approve a 1/2-cent sales tax tied to a property tax rollback on April 7. The revenue would be used to support general operations and to fund additional crews.
The measure requires a simple majority to pass.
The Valle Ambulance District currently has a budget of $2.3 million, with about 60 percent generated through real estate and personal property taxes and 40 percent generated through user fees.
In October 2013, the district approved a fee increase of about 15 percent, its first increase since 2005, to help cover rising costs, but that has not been enough, officials said.
District Chief Jesse Barton said call volume has gone up dramatically in recent months, while the district’s assessed valuation has dropped. Steadily increasing costs for medical supplies and fuel add to the gap between income and expenses.
The funds generated from the sales tax would help pay for a fourth crew to staff the district’s three houses.
“We never want to ask for a tax increase. But unfortunately, we are at the point where we have to, or risk having a situation where people call for an ambulance and there’s just not one available,” Barton said.
Valle Ambulance District, founded in 1977, covers 233 square miles in southern Jefferson County – the most territory of any county ambulance district.
“We have gone from 3,200 calls in 2013 to over 3,600 calls in 2014,” Barton said. “So far in 2015, we are on track to run over 4,000. So the number of times there is no ambulance available has increased.
“That puts a strain not just on Valle, but on other districts that are busy themselves and have to cover for us.”
If the Valle sales tax measure is successful, the district would keep all the money for the first year.
“Our best guess is that it would be between $250,000 and $300,000, but we can’t say exactly,” Barton said. “The tax isn’t on gas, prescriptions, groceries, farm equipment. It’s tough to be exact.”
Beginning in its second year, half of the revenue the tax generates would be used to roll back the property taxes residents pay to the district.
Barton said a sales tax would mean revenue can grow with the community, while minimizing the burden on district taxpayers.
“A sales tax, as the community grows, will hopefully keep up with expenses,” Barton said. “So we won’t have to come back and ask for more. Plus, it helps spread the burden. People who don’t live here but who use the services will be helping pay for them.”
The district currently has a property tax levy of 45.21 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 pays $85.90 annually.
Valle employs 21 full-time and 27 part-time employees. It provides 24-hour coverage to the communities of De Soto, Hillsboro, Victoria, Grandview, Hematite and Goldman and other parts of unincorporated southern Jefferson County.
If Valle’s proposal wins approval, the district would be the last of the five Jefferson County ambulance districts to adopt a sales tax. Rock Township charges a 1/4-cent tax, while Big River, Joachim-Plattin and North Jefferson County all charge a 1/2-cent tax.