Voters in the Pettis County Fire Protection District No. 1 will decide April 7 whether or not to approve a tax increase aimed at helping the district keep up with rising costs, aging equipment and a growing number of emergency calls.
The question will appear on the ballot during the General Municipal Election, and if approved by a simple majority, the measure would allow the district’s board of directors to levy an additional tax of up to 20 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. The increase would raise the district’s total levy to about $0.4684.
The district previously presented an increase of 48 cents per $100 assessed valuation to voters in the August 2025 special election. The measure failed, with 72% of ballots cast voting against it.
Pettis County Fire Protection District Chief Mike Harding said the district has managed to operate for decades on nearly the same funding level, but rising costs in recent years have made that increasingly difficult.
“We’ve been operating for 50 years now on just shy of $0.27,” Harding told the Democrat, “since COVID hit and everything has skyrocketed, we’ve been able to get by up to this point, but it is at the time where we’ll need additional funds.”
Harding said the cost of basic maintenance has increased dramatically, particularly for the district’s fleet of fire trucks.
“Price of tires and fuel, oil changes, and the simple maintenance and upkeep of trucks,” Harding said. “For instance, just for the front of the fire trucks, it’s $3,000 to replace the two tires.”
The district currently operates nine fire stations covering about 346 square miles, just over half of Pettis County, and maintains 44 fire trucks. Some of those vehicles are nearing 50 years old, requiring costly repairs to keep them in service.
“We’ve incurred quite a bit of cost over the last three years trying to keep these trucks up and running and be able to fight fire,” Harding said.
District officials say the additional tax revenue would help address several needs, including equipment upgrades, station repairs and staffing.
Emergency calls have steadily increased. Harding said firefighters responded to 640 calls in 2025, up from 590 in 2024, and the trend appears to be continuing upward.
“With the number of calls we’re responding to, we need to be a 24/7 fire department,” Harding said. “It is a lot to ask of a volunteer to run 640 calls.”
The district currently employs five full-time firefighters who work from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., supplemented by volunteers. Additional funding would help expand staffing and increase wages to remain competitive with other departments.
“We need to bring some wages up so we don’t have a revolving door with our firefighters,” Harding said.
Some of the funding would also go toward facility improvements. Three of the district’s stations, in Longwood, on Missouri Route TT, and the central station on Clarendon Road, are in need of major roof repairs and other structural upgrades.
The Clarendon Road station, built in 1976, requires insulation improvements and wall repairs due to rust.
Harding said the district is also facing major future equipment expenses. Within five years, its self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units used by firefighters will fall out of compliance with safety standards.
Replacing the breathing equipment and air bottles could cost an estimated $1.2 million.
The district serves approximately 17,589 residents and 289 commercial businesses and industries. It also responds to emergencies along heavily traveled routes, including U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 65.
Harding said growth in rural housing and increased traffic have added to the demand for fire and rescue services.
“The fire service is changing at warp speed right now,” Harding said. “The dangerous stuff rolling up and down these roads and the houses getting built bigger means we have to keep upgrading equipment and training.”
If voters approve the tax increase, the district would begin addressing maintenance issues, replacing aging equipment and exploring options such as lease-purchase agreements to gradually update fire trucks.
Without additional funding, Harding said the district may eventually face difficult decisions about maintaining older equipment or reducing services.
“At some point something’s going to have to give,” he said. “We’re trying to stay ahead of that so we can keep protecting the community.”
Chris Howell can be reached at 660-530-0146.
