Gathered residents told Wright City Fire Protection District administrators Monday night that they might support a tax increase — just not one as large as the district has been asking for.Voters this year have rejected proposed tax increases in April and August. The most recent proposal would have added 34 cents to the district’s tax levy per $100 assessed valuation.Without that additional revenue, the fire district’s board of directors says the district will be in dire straights, depleting its reserve funds by the end of 2019.Major looming costs include the salaries of six firefighters hired on a federal grant that expires next year, as well as more than a combined $500,000 to replace vital breathing apparatuses and radios.The board convened a public meeting Monday night, Aug. 20, to ask community members for suggested solutions to address the district’s finances, or whether there is a smaller tax increase they would be willing to support.The people in the room questioned whether some major expenses could be reduced or delayed until economic growth in the district could provide for those needs. But there was also a general consensus that a smaller tax hike could be palatable to most voters, perhaps even vocal opponents of the previous two tax proposals.A 15-cent levy increase was mentioned multiple times as either the high end or the low end of what those present thought the fire district should be asking for.Although that amount is less than what district leaders believe they will need in the long term, Fire Board President Rudy Jovanovic said now the focus has shifted to simply getting through the next few years.“We would need 34 cents to get us through 10 years. We’re now looking at what amount could we survive five years with,” Jovanovic explained. “The most common thing we heard (from voters) was ‘Go for a little bit less and ask for it again later.’ ”As the situation stands, the Wright City Fire Protection District is already locked into deficit spending to get through 2019. After this latest tax proposal failed, the earliest a new property tax increase could go into effect is the end of next year, board members said.In order to avoid having to lay off the six firefighters hired with the federal grant, Jovanovic said the board has approved spending $260,000 from the district’s reserve funds.To be able to purchase the needed equipment, Fire Chief Ron MacKnight said the district is developing a budget plan for lease purchasing the breathing equipment and radios. That will allow the district to spread out payments over time, but will ultimately cost significantly more because of interest, he said.Even with the lease purchase strategy, early estimates from the fire district still show a possible shortfall of hundreds of thousands of dollars.Making up that difference with reserve funding, combined with maintaining the current professional staff, will leave very little in the fire district’s reserves, Jovanovic said.Wright City Fire Protection District logo