Last Friday, the Mehlville FPD Board of Directors convened an emergency closed session to deal with a personnel issue that is under investigation by St. Louis County Police. We understand that an employee was suspended with pay pending the conclusion of that investigation. Before the Board voted to deliberate in closed session, a short open session was held to pass a resolution opposing a sales tax for fire districts in St. Louis County.
Below is the text of Resolution 4-24-09, which was passed by a unanimous vote:
RESOLUTION 4-24-09
OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEHLVILLE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI,
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Mehlville Fire Protection District are adamantly opposed to all efforts in the Missouri House and Senate to pursue legislation that will allow fire districts in St. Louis County to ask voters for a sales tax increase.
NOW THEREFORE, the Board of Directors of the Mehlville Fire Protection District of St. Louis County, Missouri, urges all elected officials in St. Louis County to oppose legislation that contains wording of the same or similar to below and that our representatives should be focusing on ways to streamline government and reduce taxes, not ways to ask voters for more of their money.
SECTION 321.227
Allows any fire protection district in St. Louis County which has property contained within its boundaries that is subject to tax abatement or a redistribution of tax revenues to impose, upon voter approval, a sales tax of up to one percent on all retail sales within the fire protection district. Revenues collected from the sales tax will be deposited into the newly created Fire Protection District Sales Tax Fund. Ninety percent of the revenue will be distributed to the fire protection district from which the sales tax was collected, and ten percent will be distributed to the fire protection districts per capita based upon the population of each distressed fire protection district. Any fire protection district imposing the sales tax must reduce the district's property tax rate by an amount sufficient to decrease property tax revenues by fifty of the previous year's revenue received from the fund.
Executed by the Board of Directors this 24th day of April, 2009.
Aaron Hilmer, Chairman
Bonnie Stegman, Treasurer
Ed Ryan, Secretary
(End of resolution)
In these tough economic times, the South County Truth Spot commends the MFPD Board for standing up against the greed of West County's richest fire districts and IAFF Local 2665 who control their Boards. These departments have the highest pay scales in the state of Missouri, with basic employee compensation packages that exceed $150,000 a year.
The South County Truth Spot has learned that the proposed legislation will be killed in the Missouri Senate. However, we still encourage South County taxpayers to contact their Senators and voice their opposition to this self-serving legislation proposed by firefighter's union Local 2665. This attempt to rip-off the taxpayers must not be allowed to stand.
