According to the city website, “additional economic pressure has come since 2017” as public safety tax initiatives were approved by voters in St. Louis, Jefferson and Franklin counties and the nearby Jefferson County towns of Crystal City, Hillsboro and De Soto.

The measure also would provide money to hire a full-time fire chief instead of relying on a volunteer chief, add three new full-time firefighters and upgrade radio and dispatching.

In Lincoln County, the ambulance district wants to raise the countywide property tax rate by 35 cents per $100 assessed valuation to deal with a rapidly increasing population and a jump in calls for service.

The district’s chief administrator, Ray Antonacci, said the proposition would add three ambulances, 18 paramedics and four ambulance bases over the next five years.

“We’re at code zero multiple times a week, which means no ambulances are available,” he said. In such situations, he said, the district has to rely on mutual aid agreements with other departments.