Missoula Voters Approve Fire and Emergency Services Tax

Missoula's fire and emergency services tax is on track to pass, according to early results from Wednesday morning's primary election.

The levy received 63% approval, or 12,393 “yes” votes, with 7,348 voters opposing the measure.

Andy Drobeck, president of the Missoula firefighters union, said it was good to see the levy passed by a larger margin than expected.

“Most of the guys are happy that we can move this fire department to a place where we can respond more effectively and provide citizens with better fire and emergency services,” he said.

At current rates, the $34 million levy would raise $7 million in the first year, with the owner of a $300,000 home paying $138 and the owner of a $600,000 home paying $276. The levy will appear on 2024 tax invoices.

The revenue would fund 20 new firefighters and a sixth fire station, help keep firefighters' salaries competitive and replace aging equipment, according to the department. It would also provide permanent funding for the Mobile Support Team, which responds to behavioral health-related 911 calls.

“On behalf of our entire department, we are grateful to the voters for their overwhelming support,” Fire Chief Gordy Hughes said in a statement. “This levy will allow us to maintain and improve our capabilities, ensuring that we are always ready to respond effectively and efficiently to emergency situations. The community's trust and investment in their department is invaluable, and we are committed to serving with the dedication and professionalism that Missoula deserves.

The levy was originally scheduled to appear on the ballot last November, but the council voted to postpone it, citing uncertainty and apprehension about upcoming property tax bills.

While Missoula's population and city limits have grown significantly over the past 15 years, the fire department hasn't added new firefighters since 2008, Hughes said in February. Emergency calls have nearly doubled, from about 6,000 to 11,000 a year, and response times have increased, he said.

An increase in simultaneous calls means fire crews are often responding from farther away, Hughes said. The department's average response times to medical emergencies and structure fires are higher than industry standards, he said.

Without this tax, the city's general fund would remain the only consistent funding source for fire and emergency services, according to the city. State law limits the extent to which the city can increase property tax revenue, and public safety makes up the majority of the general fund, making it difficult to cut other services to increase funding for services fire, according to the department.

The mobile support team's future without tax-generated revenue was also uncertain. The city and county launched the crisis response program three years ago using federal pandemic relief grants and funds that are no longer available. Annual expenditures for the program are approximately $1.4 million.

Drobeck said that although most of the residents he met while canvassing for the tax were supportive of the fire department, the results showed that some of those people were unable to pay more. taxes.

“There must be better ways forward in the future,” he said. “We need to look at other ways to grow the department and provide services to the public as the city grows without these tax burdens because it would push people out of Missoula.”

The department looks forward to implementing the plan for the new engine company and station as soon as possible, Drobeck said.

“For those on the engines, we just respond to alarms,” he said. “We're going to continue to do it and hopefully we can do a better job once we get some things in place, now that we have the resources to do it.”