Question 1

What is Prop. FIRE?

Accepted Answer

Proposition FIRE is a new way to fund emergency services which will also provide residents with property tax relief. It creates a one percent sales tax dedicated to fire and rescue services allowing visitors and shoppers to help share the cost of the services they rely on. If approved, the District must reduce its property tax collections each year by 50 percent of the sales tax revenue generated in the previous year.

Question 2

Why is now the time for Prop. FIRE?

Accepted Answer

Emergency services are the backbone of a safe community. Whether it's a fire, a motor vehicle accident, or a medical emergency, we all count on trained professionals arriving quickly and ready to act. That only happens when fire stations are staffed appropriately and firefighter/paramedics have the training they need to do their job and stay safe doing it.

Proposition FIRE is designed to:

Provide a new funding approach that uses sales tax to reduce property tax
Protect the quality of our emergency services
Keep firefighter/paramedics ready to respond

The goal is simple: when someone in our community calls 911, firefighters arrive quickly and ready to protect lives and property.

Question 3

How will Proposition FIRE appear on the ballot?

Accepted Answer

Proposition FIRE will appear on the April 7th ballot as follows. The format and language of the proposal are written as required by election law.

Shall the Cottleville Community Fire Protection District impose a sales tax of one percent for the purpose of providing revenues for the operation of the Cottleville Community Fire Protection District and the total property tax levy on properties in the Cottleville Community Fire Protection District, shall be reduced annually by an amount which reduces property tax revenues by an amount equal to fifty percent of the previous year’s revenue collected from this sales tax?

Question 4

What happens if we decide to leave things as they are?

Accepted Answer

Cottleville Fire has a long history of balanced budgets and holds a AAA bond rating, the highest rating available. However, the effects of growth and continually rising costs are taking a toll. Our area continues to grow, along with emergency call volumes and operating expenses. If property taxes freeze due to initiatives such as Prop RT and we are unable to secure alternative revenues, the Fire District will have to make hard decisions about the future of its emergency services, including staffing levels, training opportunities and purchases for rescue equipment and gear. If we are unable to maintain desirable staffing levels, response times could suffer and we may need to rely on neighboring districts to support responding to emergency situations in our district. In addition, our gear will become out of date and pose health and safety issues to our firefighters. Delaying necessary updates will also result in higher expenses in the future.

Question 5

How is the Fire District funded?

Accepted Answer

Currently, the Cottleville Community Fire Protection District is primarily funded through local property taxes.

However, Proposition FIRE is designed to:

Provide a new funding approach that uses sales tax to reduce property tax
Protect the quality of our emergency services
Keep firefighter/paramedics ready to respond

The goal is simple: when someone in our community calls 911, firefighters arrive quickly and ready to protect lives and property.

Question 6

What is the Hancock Amendment?

Accepted Answer

The Hancock amendment is a Missouri law limiting the amount of revenue local governments, including fire districts, can collect from property taxes. It was designed to protect taxpayers from excessive tax increases.

The Hancock amendment requires the fire district to roll back (reduce) its tax rate so that revenues from existing property taxes can only increase the lesser of the 5% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which was 3.4% for 2024. This means that even if your home's value goes up, your property taxes may not necessarily increase at the same rate.

The Hancock Amendment caps fire district revenues and prevents us from keeping pace with inflation and rising expenses. Revenues grow at a minimal rate, and we are unable to keep up with inflation and rising expenses.

In summary, the Hancock amendment can impact property taxes in situations where property values increase but the local government's budget does not increase enough to meet the community’s needs. This can lead to the need for higher tax rates for homeowners in order to maintain essential services, such as those provided by the fire district.