The Mehlville Fire Protection District Board of Directors set the district’s 2022 tax rates Sept. 28.

“The 2022 assessed evaluations reflect a $122 million, or 4.04% increase in assessed values over 2021,” a board memo stated.

The increase includes $6 million in real estate assessments and $116 million in personal property. Chief Financial Officer Brian Bond said the massive increase in personal property is an anomaly — he credits the increase to changes in the used car industry.

“Usually personal property stays very consistent. The fact that it’s increased 30%, that’s the first time I’ve seen that,” Bond said.

The 2022 tax rates see a 20-cent increase across the board after the passage of Proposition 1 in April, which raised the district’s tax rate by 20 cents – although due to a drop in residential real estate values the rate increased 19.9 cents.

The new rates are as follows, per $100 assessed evaluation:

Residential — $0.720

Agricultural — $1.159

Commercial — $0.911

Personal property — $1.068

Blended — $0.810

The tax rates project $25.44 million in revenue in FY 2023, and the district will retain roughly $25.06 million. Bond said the 2023 budget will see a $7.5 million increase from last year.