By Chris OrletManaging EditorVoters will be asked in April to pass a 15-cent property tax increase to fund operations of the Warren County Ambulance District (WCAD).This would be the district’s first tax hike since 2001.District Administrator Ralph Hellebusch said a levy increase would be used to meet the current and future needs of the district as call volumes and the district’s population have increased since the last tax increase.WCAD officials said emergency personnel responded to 3,675 calls in 2013 within the 240-square-mile district.Currently three ambulance bases are staffed on a 24/7 basis. A fourth or fifth crew are sometimes called in to handle calls during peak times, officials said.Hellebusch said Proposition A will enable the ambulance district to be proactive in meeting its current needs as well as move forward with its five-year plan. That plan includes adding a fully staffed fourth base in the northern Wright City area and possibly relocating Base 2 to the Innsbrook area.Other major expenditures in the five-year plan include a program to replace the aging ambulance fleet, purchasing property for a fourth base, hiring additional staff to meet the call volume and replacing costly equipment items such as cardiac monitors, stretchers and communication equipment.“When you look at a cost of nearly a quarter-million dollars for new cardiac monitors and stretchers for six ambulance trucks, we feel we did a great job providing our taxpayers with the high-quality pre-hospital care they deserve,” said Hellebusch. “Proposition A will enable the district to continue to meet those expectations.”Hellebusch said the district strives to provide the community with the most relevant services possible while being judicious with taxpayers’ dollars. He said the district operates its own training center for continuing education classes for its paramedics and EMT personnel and has instituted an Explorer program for young individuals interested in an emergency medical career. Additionally, the district continues to work closely with the local school districts in the Four Rivers Vocational program.However, the bottom line for the voters will be the cost.For a resident within the Warren County Ambulance District boundaries with a $100,000 home, the increase would be about $2.38 per month.The tax levy rate for the ambulance district is currently 34.3 cents per each $100 of assessed valuation. Proposition A allows the Warren County Ambulance Board of Directors to impose an additional property tax not to exceed the annual rate of 15 cents above the present tax levy rate.Ambulance district seeks tax hike