Vote Yes on Prop 911
Pattonville / Bridgeton Fire Protection District paramedics Laurie Taylor and Bob Rauss wheel a stretcher while on a call in north St. Louis County in 2006. David Carson|Post-Dispatch
On Nov. 3, St. Louis County voters will be asked to increase sales taxes by one-tenth of 1 percent — a penny on every $10 — to upgrade in the county’s emergency communications equipment.
We recommended against — and voters rejected — a tax increase for this purpose and other projects last November. Election Day this year is different. Proposition E-911, unlike its predecessor, is narrowly focused and deserves public support.
Proposition E-911 would raise about $16 million for an urgent public safety need: replacing antiquated equipment and technology that compromises the safety of first responders and interferes with their ability to handle emergency situations.
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered all users of the radio spectrum, including public safety agencies, to update their technology by the end of 2012. The transition is analogous to the one the FCC mandated for television broadcasters, who this year converted to digital transmissions, making older televisions obsolete without special boxes.
For public safety agencies, this means more than merely switching radios. The new sales tax would allow the county to establish a comprehensive system linking all of its many public safety agencies.
Currently the county’s municipalities and public safety agencies employ a crazy quilt of communications devices and technologies. Police officers, firefighters and medical personnel from different jurisdictions cannot directly communicate with one another under emergency conditions.
There’s consensus across political lines and among top public safety officials that these conditions put lives at risk. In the event of a major natural or man-made disaster, the results could be catastrophic.
The sales tax revenue would support a $100-million bond issue. About $80 million would be spent to replace obsolete equipment and technology at every police, fire, EMS, and other emergency service agency throughout St. Louis County, making communications systems compatible across the board.
Another $10 million would be used to update the 911 emergency call system, most notably to employ Global Positioning System technology so that cell phone callers — who make an estimated 70 percent of all 911 calls — can be located. The final piece calls for replacement of the county’s decrepit tornado siren system at a cost of $10 million.
If passed, the sales tax will not sunset when the bonds are retired because technology and equipment must be continually maintained and updated. A special commission has been appointed to implement and oversee the whole program. That commission owes a special obligation to taxpayers.
For starters, the commission — as well as the city, county and emergency personnel who are promoting the tax increase — should acknowledge that the project perpetuates the wasteful multiplicity of public safety agencies in St. Louis County. There are 64 police agencies; 43 fire districts or fire departments and 26 emergency call centers in the county.
The proposed sales tax would thus be subsidizing a lot of duplicative communications costs. The conversion offers an opportunity to create efficiency with shared costs and resources. The commission that would oversee the how the tax money is spent should make that a priority.
The ballot measure is worth funding — but taxpayers should demand aggressive efficiencies along with spiffy new technology.
So when will they stop collecting that sales tax? Already voted NO! Let Claire seek an earmark. She says she is against them but votes for them when Jack Murtha wants them. Such hyporcrisy!
“If passed, the sales tax will not sunset when the bonds are retired because technology and equipment must be continually maintained and updated.”
Of course not. Ever think about cutting waste, fraud, and abuse first?
“A special commission has been appointed to implement and oversee the whole program”
And how much are they getting?
“The conversion offers an opportunity to create efficiency with shared costs and resources. The commission that would oversee the how the tax money is spent should make that a priority.”
This is govt people. Efficiencies will never happen. I’d pass if it were me.
From what I have read, this seems like a good idea.
However, considering the Post Dispatch editorial board endorses it makes me skeptical. I would trust the editorial board as far as I could toss it.
Furthermore, there are advantages to multiple service providers in our fragmented polity, it is not all negative. It is too large an issue to delve into in a comment, but there is an argument to be made for it.
You must be joking…at midtown….as you joked downtown.
St. Louis county residents are ‘tapped’ out…totally tapped out..
Sales tax is already regressive…hurts all.
There is no such thing as efficiency in any government agencies.
There is no such thing as oversight…You live in the land of Oz….
That the tax can go on forever is reason enough to vote against it.
St. Louis County residents should demand that the County take the
money out of the $51 million a year we are soaked by the Zoo Museum
district to pour money into the money bloated, money sucking
zoo and museums in and around Forest Park.
Or…stop funding the crooked Ballpark/Village deal..stop paying the
bonds and take care of the emergency communications system.
Or stop funding the failed airport commission, the failed metro system,
the failed RCGA and the failed SLCVC
Your credibility is slipping away at an ever increasing rate.
Right you are AJ. What no one mentions is that most cities in St Louis County received a huge payout of back taxes from the cell phone providers (ATT, US Cellular, Verizon, etc.). Kirkwood received $1.4 million and Webster Groves $950,000. These funds should have gone to updating equipment since taxpayers already contributed the funds. What did the cities do? They put the money into their general fund to spend on anything they want. Also some of those tax dollars went to the St Louis County Municiple League, one of the sponsors of this proposition. A sales tax, especially one that is “forever” is not the way to fund this. How about a monthly tax on cell phone users??
Seriously, aren’t we taxed enough? how many more taxes can you push on the public.
I like how they want more taxes and everytime i go by a FD i see brand new ford F150 trucks or whatever the chief needs to drive.
NO THANKS!!!
> How about a monthly tax on cell phone users??
My base charge for cellular service is $80 a month. They put an additional $18 a month on top of that in taxes, fees, etc. So how about not.
Funny thing is, there didn’t used to be municipal utility taxes levied on cell phone bills. But the municipal league sued, and now they get the tax. Yet the municipal league is A-OK with the fact that like 8 municipalities in the entire state are getting millions in casino revenue, with a constitutionally protected monopoly, while other municipalities are broke. That organization has about as much credibility as the P-D editorial page.
Another example of taxation by bureaucratic fiat. This unfunded mandate is required by bureaucrats at the FCC. I thought all taxation had to originate in the House? While I do not agree with the stimulus, it would have been more prudent to have used it for this than some of the outlandish wasteful “programs” we’ve read about over the past few months.
Once again, using emotional please (”Proposition 911″? Spare me..) to get citizens to earmark money with a tax that has NO END. EVER. All the while, fire departments are using homeland security and FEMA money across the area for worthless garbage. Check out the Journal and Times this past week. The Glendale (population 5700) fire department just wasted over $10,000 on an “inflatable house” with pictures of smoke alarms in it. HOMELAND SECURITY MONEY? Are we out of our minds? And now they want to raise more taxes, during a very difficult time, to pay for what SHOULD HAVE been their most important priority all along, which is actual safety.
Unfunded Mandate?? Nope just a tax to be passed along.
I don’t think so.. Then again maybe I’ll give them my total cola
raise? If the Post is for it there has got to be a problem….