By Janine DavisRecord Staff WriterRecent high-profile crime and weather-related accidents show how important it is for first responders to get to an emergency quickly.But behind the scenes, the county’s 911 and law enforcement services may soon be at a funding breaking point.Warren County Emergency Services (911) and the Warren County Sheriff’s Department have each petitioned county commissioners for a half-cent residential utility tax. If approved the tax increase would help offset dwindling sales tax revenues that fund these services.The utility tax would apply to metered water services, electricity, natural, artificial and propane gas, wood, coal and home heating oil, all for household use only. The tax proposal would not apply to telecommunications sales or business utilities.Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said commissioners have begun looking into whether a tax increase measure should go on the November ballot or if the commission can simply approve the increase.“It might be that the 911 measure passed in the early ’90s allows us to collect these taxes and we haven’t been collecting them,” he said. “Probably the fairest way would be to put it on the ballot.”Either way, he said, the commissioners will hold an open meeting to discuss the issue.Declining Sales Tax BaseBoth 911 and county law enforcement depend fully on sales tax revenue for funding, but as more consumers are shopping online and in surrounding counties, the revenue base for these entities has declined while demand for services has risen.That is a trend that is likely to continue according to emergency officials. Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison and 911 Administrator Amy Ellard told county commissioners last week that they must look to other sources of revenue to continue providing satisfactory levels of service.“If we continue to see declines in sales tax revenue and without some other solution, by 2015, we will face deficit spending,” said Ellard. “We’ve trimmed all the fat; there’s no more to trim.”Sheriff Harrison echoed the case for county law enforcement, conveying that county law enforcement costs are going up as the sales tax base has declined.“Nobody wants any kind of tax increase,” Harrison told commissioners. “But we’re at a saturation point where people are either going to have to accept paying more or getting less.”Harrison said the county now tries to have at least three deputies on the road at a time: one covering the north, another patrolling the south, and a roving supervisor to fill in where needed. Peak coverage is five deputies on the road, he said.As sales taxes continue to decline, Harrison fears for the safety of citizens and his deputies.“We can’t continue to meet the demand for services when the revenue isn’t there to support it,” said Harrison.“What people may not realize is that as they go out of this county to shop and spend, they’re supporting the other agencies in those towns like Troy, Washington and Wentzville instead of their own local emergency response groups,” said Harrison. “We’re losing those sales tax dollars every time that happens.”Equitable Spread Among HouseholdsEllard said she used the most recent Census data to calculate how much revenue a half-cent utility tax would mean. At 12,648 households in the county and an average monthly utility bill of about $200, a half-cent tax would yield $151,776 annually.The average combined household cost for a half-cent tax for both 911 and law enforcement would be roughly $25-$30 per year.“The thing we keep trying to balance is not assessing higher taxes on property,” said Harrison. “We’re trying to find something that’s fair and equitable across the board.”“A lot of the services here are used by people who don’t own residential or other taxable property, so this seems more equitable than addressing it through a property tax,” said Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner.911 Board member Roger Stewart said people don’t necessarily think of the extreme importance of 911 since the service is behind the scenes as part of the county’s emergency infrastructure.“During last week’s ice storm, 911 was flooded with calls and our dispatchers were stretched to the limit,” said Stewart. “You see the police cars, ambulances and fire trucks out in the community, but 911 is behind-the-scenes playing a pivotal role even though they don’t have that big presence like the others. We’ve got to remember them and address these needs.”Once an ordinance for the utility tax is drafted, it will be presented to the commission for a vote.Utility tax sought for county 911, law enforcement