With the April 5 election approaching, Crestwood hosted a town hall March 22 to answer questions and present information regarding Proposition 1.
Prop 1 is a quarter-cent sales tax increase that would go to the city’s fire department. The tax would go from a quarter-cent to half-cent, the maximum Missouri allows. City Administrator Kris Simpson estimated the tax would bring in an additional $500,000-$600,000 per year. If approved it would fund the purchase of two ambulances, one purely for backup, and five additional paramedics for the main car.
The city’s current ambulance makeup includes the fire department’s rescue truck, which can’t transport patients, and an ambulance from Abbott EMS, in which the city has contracted its services. Simpson said he feels confident that Crestwood services could beat Abbott response times, a catalyst for the proposition.
“That relationship has worked fairly well over the years, but recently we have seen a decline in some of their response times,” Simpson said.
Abbott handles billing as of now in Crestwood, meaning if Prop 1 were approved the city could set rates based on the city and its citizens needs.
Outside of faster response times, the city would be able to receive mutual aid for EMS calls, whereas currently it can only receive that aid for fire calls. Crestwood’s paramedics would also have a more personal connection to citizens, which could be a benefit especially for repeat patients.