The Eureka Fire Protection District will ask voters on Aug. 5 to approve a tax increase that narrowly failed in April.
The district will seek a tax increase of 34 cents per $100 assessed valuation. It’s the same tax increase voters rejected on April 8 by 10 votes.
Eureka Fire Chief Scott Barthelmass said the district is at the point “where it has to do something” in order to bring in more revenue.
If approved, Eureka Fire will use the additional revenue from the tax increase to recruit and retain firefighters, purchase new equipment to replace outdated equipment and fund building repairs, said Patrick Feder, the district’s Board of Directors chairman.
“We’ve looked at every option out there, and the emphasis is that this is not a want but a need for the district,” Barthelmass said. “After lengthy discussions, the Board of Directors made it very clear that it’s an absolute need to pass this. When you look at our capital expenses, our capital needs, what the district needs, it’s vital we put it back on the ballot.”
The fire district’s three-member board voted unanimously on May 26 to place the tax measure, called Proposition F on the August ballot. The measure requires a simple majority for passage.
Feder said district officials will have face-to-face conversations with district residents and answer questions about the measure this summer. The district also will tweak its social media use to better explain how the tax increase would benefit the district.
“It was a very slim margin (at the April election),” Feder said. “There were a couple of things that factored into (voter turnout) that day, too: Hwy. W flooding, the rain, and the storms we had that day. This time, we’ll have more one-on-one conversations, just going out and actively having conversations and answering any questions, clarifying the message from the first time around.”
If the proposition passes, the owner of a house valued at $200,000 by the Assessor’s Office would pay about $129.20 more 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 about $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 approximately 63 square miles in Eureka, Hoene Springs and portions of Wildwood and Pacific.
‘Attrition’
If Prop F is passed, the extra revenue would allow the district to better compete with other districts in firefighter pay, Feder said.
He said Eureka firefighters work about 2,900 hours a year, well above the average full-time job of 2,080 hours a year, and should be compensated fairly for the overtime.
Eureka firefighters currently top out at about $88,000 a year, not including overtime pay, and with the tax measure, Eureka Fire would be able to pay firefighters at the top of the pay scale about $105,000-$110,000 a year, Feder said.
“That salary really would keep (firefighters) from moving to other departments or slow down the attrition that we’ve been noticing for the last several years,” he said. “There are surrounding departments that are paying more, so we want to bring our department up to more competitive compensation so we can keep experience and longevity in the department and protect our citizens better as a result.”
Barthelmass said equipment costs have doubled or even tripled for the district since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At this point, the expenses for the fire district continue to rise,” he said. “The firefighter turnout gear that we need is projected to be in excess of $450,000. That gear is only good for 10 years, and it’s over that now. It becomes a safety risk for our personnel, and it becomes a liability for the organization.”
Hancock amendment
The fire district’s current tax levy is $1.290 per $100 assessed valuation. If the 34-cent tax increase is approved, it would rise to $1.549. However, Barthelmass said he believes the district’s tax levy likely will be reduced to $1.10 per $100 of assessed valuation this year to comply with the Hancock amendment, and if that’s the case, then the tax levy would be $1.44 per $100 assessed valuation if the 34 cent increase is approved. 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, effectively puts a cap on Eureka Fire’s annual budget, Feder said. While the fire district collects the same amount in property taxes each year, it has to pay more to operate due to inflation.
“I understand both sides of that coin. When an area increases dramatically because of property values going up, you wouldn’t want a windfall of cash and then mismanagement of those funds and that money,” Feder said. “So, they had to do something years ago to rein that in. (But) while property values have gone up because of housing and material costs and all that other good stuff, we’re stuck at a rollback level that really challenges the finances of a fire department.”
Feder said the Board of Directors works to ensure the district remains fiscally responsible, and every taxpayer dollar collected is well spent.
“There was a lot of conversation (on the board) around it: How can we continue to provide great service for our citizens? Revenue coming in hasn’t increased accordingly to be able to pay for things like turnout gear or ambulances or fire trucks or maintenance that has doubled, if not more, in price in recent years,” he said.
“We take very seriously the ask we have of our citizens, (and) all signs really pointed towards the tax increase.”