The Eureka Fire Protection District is asking voters on Aug. 5 to approve a tax increase of 34 cents per $100 assessed valuation. Eureka Fire would use the additional funds from the tax increase to raise salaries in an effort to better recruit and retain firefighters; to purchase new equipment to replace outdated equipment; and to fund building repairs, officials reported.
The measure, called Proposition F, requires a simple majority for passage.
The same measure was on the April 8 ballot and failed to pass by just 10 votes.
If the proposition passes this time around, the owner of a house valued at $200,000 by the Assessor’s Office would pay about $129.20 more in taxes per year, for a total of $588.62 per year in property taxes to the district. Currently, the owner pays about $459.42 per year.
The owner of a house valued at $450,000 by the Assessor’s Office will pay approximately $290.70 more for a total of $1,324.40 per year in property taxes to the district. Currently, the owner pays about $1,033.70 per year.
The Eureka Fire Protection District covers about 63 square miles in Eureka, Hoene Springs and portions of Wildwood and Pacific.
Citizens committee
A committee made up of Eureka Fire district residents and community leaders was formed to promote Prop F.
The group’s Facebook page is called Citizens for Eureka Fire Prop F. It shares Eureka Fire statistics, along with information about how the tax increase may help the district.
According to Eureka Fire Chief Scott Barthelmass, 14 people are in the group: Father Leo Spezia of Most Sacred Heart Catholic Church; Rick Hinkson, owner of Eureka Contracting & Roofing; BJ Hillerman of Farmers and Merchants Bank; Gary Smith of Sullivan Bank; Marilyn Leistner, former Eureka alderwoman; Tom Ilges, Focus Marines Foundation board member; Brad Vancil, real estate agent with Vancil Brothers Realty; Josh Kahn, real estate agent with Kahn & Busk Real Estate; Dennis Gard, pastor at Central Baptist Church; Terry Selbert, owner of Selbert’s Auto Body; Greg Brown, retired Eureka Fire chief; Tim Schulte, pastor at The River at Eureka Church; Phil Milligan, Rockwood School District Board of Education member; and Lt. Col. Jim Schneider of the St. Louis County Police Department.
Milligan, a Eureka resident, said he supports Prop F for several reasons. As a school board member, Milligan said he wants to ensure Eureka Fire can respond to schools promptly in the event of an emergency with appropriate, updated equipment.
“We need to support our public taxing entities, in light of rising costs amid revenue constraints, such as the Hancock Amendment, as well as other state and federal funding reductions and withholding,” Milligan said.
Barthelmass said he believes the district’s projected tax levy will be reduced from $1.209 to $1.10 per $100 of assessed valuation this year to comply with the Hancock Amendment.
In Missouri, the amendment stipulates that local governments must adjust their property tax rates to avoid “windfall revenues resulting from increased home values,” according to the MOST Policy Initiative.
The Hancock Amendment to the Missouri Constitution, approved by voters in 1980, can effectively put a cap on Eureka Fire’s annual budget. While the fire district will collect the same amount in property taxes, the amendment does not account for cost increases due to inflation.
“We all depend on (Eureka Fire) to be there every time we need them,” Milligan said.
“When they ask us to give up a cup of coffee a few times a month to be there for them, it is really a no-brainer.”