By Susan Weich
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
Copyright 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Fire chiefs in West Alton and Portage des Sioux are cautiously optimistic that a proposal to merge their two volunteer fire departments will win voter approval Aug. 8.
The chiefs say the proposal would bring better equipment and better-trained firefighters to residents for a few more dollars a year.
If approved by a simple majority of the 514 registered voters in Portage des Sioux, the boundaries of the West Alton Fire Protection District would expand to take in their town. The timing of the vote would allow the expanded district to start collecting taxes this fall.
“Basically, we’re hoping to build on what we’ve been doing for the past five years — trying to standardize equipment, increase the training, the cooperation, the working together,” said West Alton Fire Chief Rick Pender.
Portage des Sioux Fire Chief Kurt Machens said a petition drive to get the merger on the ballot and two town hall meetings had given fire officials a chance to inform residents about the benefits of the plan. There appears to be no organized opposition.
Eighteen volunteers provide Portage des Sioux with fire protection on an annual budget of $18,000. Funding comes from fire tags that residents buy for $25 a year. Farmers and business owners pay $75.
But in recent years, volunteer involvement in the Portage des Sioux department has waned, Machens said, and increasing fuel and insurance costs have strained the agency’s budget.
“Our bills continue to increase, and $18,000 a year just isn’t cutting it,” he said.
West Alton levies a tax of 20 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation, and operated on a budget of $46,000 last year. Officials say that if the agencies merge, a Portage des Sioux resident who owns a $100,000 home would pay $38 annually; the owner of a $200,000 home would pay $76; the owner of an agricultural property assessed at $500,000 would pay $120.
The district has 37 volunteers who are required to train at least twice a month, said Pender.
If the merger is approved, officials say they will rename the expanded district something descriptive of both areas. The new district would still be governed by West Alton’s three-person board until April, when one of the seats would open up, and a Portage des Sioux resident could run for the position.
Pender said officials had agreed to appoint a nonvoting member of the Portage des Sioux Fire Department’s administration to the board until April to make sure the community has a voice in district operations. The representative’s term could be extended if a Portage des Sioux resident is not elected in April, he said.
The chiefs say a merger may give the district a lower insurance rating, which could lower homeowners’ insurance payments.
In addition, becoming part of a taxing district would mean that utilities and railroads in Portage des Sioux also would pay their share for fire protection.
The regular income would give the district clout with banks, too, if it wanted to borrow money or work out a lease-purchase agreement to buy equipment, something Machens has said could be used to replace Portage des Sioux’s aging fleet.
The district has a 1975 full-sized pumper truck, a 1981 tanker truck and a 1996 mini-pumper.
“This would be a good thing for the community,” said Pender, who also works as a volunteer with Portage des Sioux.
Machens added, “I’ve received a lot of positive feedback, so I hope we can pass it.”