Fire tax dominates conversation as vote approaches

Renewing the fire tax was the key topic at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee at the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau.

Friday morning also marked the launch of an informational campaign by the Committee to Continue the Fire Tax, created to share with voters public safety needs of the city. The group, led by Alliance Bank president Kevin Greaser, plans to speak with voters throughout Cape Girardeau about the tax before the Nov. 4 election.

Details about the fire tax and what it has accomplished were provided in a presentation by City Manager Scott Meyer. The quarter-cent tax was approved by voters in 2004 and is divided into a one-eighth-cent ongoing portion and a one-eighth-cent renewable portion. The renewable half of the tax reaches its sunset this year.

Revenue generated from the one-eighth-cent sales tax renewal is expected to be $1.2 million a year, according to information provided by the city. The ballot will ask voters to approve it for 21 years.

Over the past decade, Meyer said the tax has helped purchase firetrucks, built a new Fire Station 3 and updated air masks and other equipment. The tax also has helped free enough general revenue to help provide necessary funds to the police department, he said.

The fire department, which also is in charge of emergency medical calls and disaster response, responds to calls in six minutes or less more than 85 percent of the time, Meyer said. He and Mayor Harry Rediger said to keep the same level of service, renewing the tax is crucial.

Discussion of the tax often centers around public safety, but Rediger said it is important people realize the "public" includes their friends, loved ones and themselves.

"It's really personal. The next call could be for you," he told the audience.

If the tax is renewed, the city is looking to renovate fire stations 1 and 2 and replace station 4 on Kurre Lane. That station is the city's smallest, and since it was built in the 1970s, the city's daytime population has grown from 60,000 to 100,000, Meyer said. The city also has experienced more growth in the area near the station.

After the presentation, an audience member asked how the city would fund its public safety needs if voters did not renew of the tax. Meyer and Rediger agreed it would likely force the city to make cuts in other areas to keep up with fire and police needs.

"[If the tax does not pass], we would regress, no question," said Rediger.

Those who wish to learn more about the Committee to Continue the Fire Tax may visit facebook.com/CGCTCFT. The city has provided information about the fire tax on its website at cityofcapegirardeau.org/firesalestax.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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