Voters in Wright City Fire Protection District on Tuesday turned down a property tax increase the district said was necessary to keep half its firefighters on staff.Proposition S asked voters to approve a real estate and personal property tax increase of 17 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. Without the additional funding, fire district leaders warn they will have to lay off six firefighters at the end of this year.The reduction would leave as few as two firefighters on shift at a time.The district made strides in gaining support for Prop S compared to previous tax proposals in 2018, but did not sway enough opponents to pass the measure. Prop S was defeated by 54 percent of almost 1,400 voters, compared to 46 percent in favor. The voting margin was 630 in favor and 738 against, according to the Warren County Clerk’s Office.The six firefighter positions in danger of being lost were originally hired with a federal grant that expired earlier this year. The fire district’s board of directors has approved over $250,000 in reserve fund spending to keep those firefighters on staff until the end of 2019. After that, their future is uncertain.District officials have cited a decline in volunteer firefighters as a major reason for maintaining current professional staff.Wright City Fire Protection District logo