Wright City Fire Protection District leaders are hoping voters will approve Proposition S, a 17-cent tax levy increase, during local elections next week on April 2.The fire district’s current tax levy is 41.26 cents per $100 assessed valuation on real estate and personal property. If approved, Prop S would increase the fire district’s total levy to 58.26 cents per $100 valuation.That would amount to about $65 more per year in taxes for a $200,000 home.The fire district was twice denied by voters in 2018 when it sought a tax increase in April and August. Fire Chief Ron MacKnight said the district has stripped its request to half of the most recent tax proposal based on feedback from the public.Although previous tax propositions included money for facility and equipment improvements, MacKnight said the current Prop S has one primary purpose: preserving the jobs of six firefighters who face layoffs without additional funding.The fire district’s board of directors previously approved using $260,000 from the district’s reserve funds to keep those firefighters on staff through the end of 2019.The firefighters were originally hired with a federal grant that doubled the number of professional firefighters on each shift from two to four. That grant expired earlier this year, meaning the fire district may not be able to sustain those firefighter positions.“We want to maintain this level of service, because we know the dangers to our community and the dangers to our firefighters when we drop down to two people on a truck,” MacKnight said. Having a crew of four is the national standard for house fires and improves the safety and efficiency of responses, he said.District officials have cited a decline in volunteer firefighters as a major reason for maintaining current professional staff. Volunteer recruitment struggles are a challenge nationwide, MacKnight explained.The proposed tax increase from Prop S would generate an estimated $375,000 in revenue, which fire district officials predict will stabilize the district’s finances and staff for at least five years.Previous propositionsPrevious ballot propositions would have also supplied funding for fire station construction, replacing fire trucks and replacing outdated vital equipment. Those uses are not being considered for the current tax proposal, MacKnight said.Since the last election, Wright City Fire has received a grant to replace expiring breathing air packs, but is continuing to search for funding to replace its aging radios and a tanker truck.The district is also using its existing funding to finance the purchase of one new pumper truck, the chief said, adding that other expenses have been put on hold.Wright City Fire District has an annual budget for loan payments on vehicles. Payments on the recently purchased truck are actually less per year than one that was just paid off before it, MacKnight said.After a 34-cent tax levy increase was rejected by voters last August, the fire district board of directors held a public forum to ask for guidance from the community. Several residents at the time said a tax increase of around 15 cents would be more palatable.“We’re here to serve the community, we’re here to do what the community wants. If their vision for a safe community is that 15- to 20-cent range, then that’s where we’re going to go,” MacKnight said. “It’s a tax increase to make our community safe. ... Operating with two firefighters, that’s just dangerous.”MacKnight also responded to signs posted around Wright City calling on voters to reject Prop S because it would be a 41-percent increase of the fire district’s tax levy. That number is accurate when comparing the proposed 17 cent increase to the fire district’s current 41.26 cent levy.But MacKnight said the signs are attempting to mislead voters by making them think Prop S is a 41 percent increase to their total tax bill, rather than only the fire district’s portion of it. He said the increase from Prop S amounts to less than $3 per month for each $100,000-worth of property.

Wright City firefighters move into a smoke-filled room during a training exercise in 2017.

Record photo