Community should support fire ballot initiative

EDITORIAL

The Smithville Area Fire Protection District voters should support a substantial tax levy increase and bond issue at the polls Aug. 5.

The department is asking voters to approve a 60-cent tax levy increase and an $11 million bond issue. The bond issue will cover the cost to build three new stations — strategically placed throughout the 110-square-mile district — and purchase 10 new firefighting apparatuses as well as make improvements to the current station at 341 Park Drive. The tax levy increase will fund the hiring of 15 new firefighters and enhance pay and benefits for staff.

In total, the two items would mean an increase of about 95 to 98 cents per assessed $100 on property taxes. For example, $200,000 of assessed property value would mean you would see an increase of about $360 per year if the two measures pass.

Even though these increases are steep and will cost taxpayers, they are needed. Many residents within this large district are more than six miles from the current station and many upwards of 15 miles away. The addition of the three new stations — one in the northeast, one in the northwest and one in the southeast — will provide for lower ISO ratings and inevitably lower home insurance costs for many homeowners. Also, in the case of an emergency, the lowered response times to homes or businesses could mean the difference between minor and major losses of property and even life and death in some cases.

Additionally, the district is now at minimum staffing — meaning no more than three trained firefighters are on the clock at any given time. In the event of a major emergency or even more than one call within a short period of time, patrons are underserved.

The district is also in financial crisis. If voters do not pass these tax initiatives, at least one full-time firefighter may lose his or her job in next year — reducing service and coverage for all patrons.

Many area fire districts’ total tax marks are well above $1. The current levy in Smithville is .26-cent with a one-half-cent sales tax. They do not have the funds they need to operate a solvent and safe district. However, the fire district Board of Directors should be warned that waiting another significant period of time before asking for an increase when it is needed is not wise. These growth needs should have been handled before now.

Voters need to step up to the plate and open their wallets for the district in order to have the service they deserve. Remaining at this rate of levy with no future facilities is a gamble that many Smithville area residents may not realize they are taking.