The Warrenton Fire Protection District will make a second attempt to convince residents that services could be improved with a tax increase.Next Tuesday voters will decide whether or not to approve a 15-cent hike known as Proposition F.If passed, the additional funding will help the district hire additional firefighters, upgrade equipment and provide for capital improvements.This is the same measure that was rejected by voters in 2014.Fire Chief Mike Owenby said the additional funding is needed for a number of reasons, including the limited ability to generate revenue, a jump in emergency calls over the years and a drop in the number of volunteer firefighters.He added that the district is now billing for emergency calls involving persons who do not live in or own property in the district and are applying for grants in ways to provide additional funds.“We have to do something if we are going to continue to provide the level of service we have been,” Owenby said.The district’s last tax increase was in 2001. Over time, the district’s population and call volume has exploded. Also, expenses have continued to steadily climb.Firefighters respond to over 600 emergency calls annually, a significant jump from 2001 when crews responded to 319 incidents.The district encompasses 125 square miles in the county, of which a small pocket lies in Lincoln County, with a staff of eight full-time employees consisting of six firefighters, one chief and an administrative assistant.Late last year, the district hired 15 part-time firefighters and made a switch to having paid firefighters on all shifts. Previously, paid firefighters worked beginning 8 p.m. Sunday through 8 p.m. Friday and the weekends were covered by volunteers.The change has led to faster response times, but Owenby noted the change cannot be sustained and would be temporary if the tax increase is not approved. He said the district is facing a $80,000 deficit in its budget this year.“Not being able to guarantee having that first ruck out the door in a reasonable amount of time, we felt like we needed to do something,” Owenby said. “We needed to do a change. “We are in jeopardy of going backward with the staffing.”Besides employing three more full-time firefighters, an assistant chief/fire marshal would be hired to oversee fire safety programs and state and federal mandates. In addition, the proposed tax would fund maintenance and upkeep of existing facilities and equipment, provide enhanced training and updated training facilities and acquire updated rescue-fighting equipment.Owenby said a free study is underway to help the district put together a long-range plan related to improvements.The district, he added, is focused on ways to lower the ISO (insurance services rating) rating for properties. In October, the rating in the district’s rural area was reduced from a 9 to a 5 for properties within five miles of one of the district’s fire stations or a neighboring fire district’s facility. That is the same rating for properties inside the Warrenton city limits. The rating continues to be a 9 for those properties beyond five miles from a fire station.Many insurance companies use the ISO rating as part of its formula for calculating insurance premiums.“The biggest hit we took was not having people in this building 24 hours a day,” Owenby said about the ISO rating improvement.For a resident within the fire district boundaries with a $100,000 home, the tax increase would cost an additional $2.38 per month; a $150,000 home would be $3.56; and a $200,000 home would be $4.75.At a Glance• The Warrenton fire district is seeking a 15-cent property tax increase to fund additional personnel, the purchase of updated equipment and capital improvements. A similar proposal was rejected by voters in 2014. A simple majority is needed.• Three firefighters would be hired to help all shifts be covered by paid staff and an assistant fire chief/fire marshal position would be added to oversee fire safety programs and state and federal mandates.• Additional funding would be used for the maintenance and upkeep of existing facilities and equipment, provide enhanced training and updated training facilities, and acquire updated rescue-fighting equipment.Warrenton Fire Protection District