Many are asking the St. Charles County Ambulance District’s new tax measure on ballots

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The new tax measure on the St. Charles County Election Day ballot has raised questions for many.

Several viewers questioned why the St. Charles County Ambulance District is seeking another tax hike when it received a large tax increase back in 2018.

The past tax measure raised a total of $75 million. It allowed the Fire District to build its $35 million headquarters in St. Peters, purchase new equipment such as ambulances, and build new fire stations.

The funds could not be used for staff costs, which is the problem the district is facing now, a labor shortage.

The new voting measure would raise $7.6 million. The money would allow for a pay rise for the current workforce of about 250 workers, and it would also attract new workers.

Chief Kelly Cope of the St. Charles County Ambulance District said he is now about 10 paramedics short. This means that the other workers are often forced to work overtime.

“Yes, we are definitely understaffed now. We just went through a hiring process to try to get the numbers where they need to be,” he said. “We are probably looking for close to 10 staff to hire to be fully staffed. We don’t have the luxury of saying, ‘Sorry, we’re closed after 7 tonight, or we don’t have the opportunity to serve you at this time because we don’t have the staff.’ That’s just not an option.”

https://fox2now.com/news/you-paid-for-it/many-questions-st-charles-county-ambulance-district-new-tax-measure-on-ballot/ Many are asking the St. Charles County Ambulance District’s new tax measure on ballots