Proposition Fire would replace two aging stations and modernize the district’s apparatus fleet

CENTRAL CROSSING FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT – SHELL KNOB, MO.

Voters across the Central Crossing Fire Protection District will decide next month whether to approve a bond measure that district leaders say is needed to replace two outdated fire stations, modernize an aging vehicle fleet, and address a health risk that has become the leading cause of death among firefighters nationwide.

The measure, known as Proposition Fire, would authorize the district to issue general obligation bonds, a one-time capital investment to be repaid through a dedicated, temporary property tax levy. It will appear on the Tuesday, August 4, 2026, ballot. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Approval requires a four-sevenths majority, or roughly 57.14 percent of votes cast, under Missouri law governing fire district bond elections.

District officials say the bond would fund construction of two new fire stations to replace Station #3 and Station #4, purchase three new brush trucks, a rescue truck, and pay off existing lease financing on two tanker/pumpers and one engine currently carried in the district’s operating budget.

STATIONS BUILT FOR A DIFFERENT ERA

Station #3 and Station #4 were built decades ago, before modern fire apparatus grew to its current size. District leaders say today’s engines and tankers are taller and longer than the bays at both stations can accommodate, creating access problems that affect response readiness. Station 3 is located south of Shell Knob near the intersection of State Highway 39 & State Highway H. Station 4 is located east of Shell Knob just off of State Hwy YY on the Barry/Stone County Line.

Neither station has running water, a septic system, showers, or gear decontamination areas, according to the district. Both also lack adequate supply storage and living quarters for crews working extended shifts or standby assignments.

The proposed replacement stations would include modern apparatus bays, restrooms and showers, gear washers and extractors, dedicated decontamination areas, supply storage, and an area for living quarters designed to accommodate future staffing growth.

A QUIET HEALTH CRISIS

Much of the push behind the new station design centers on a growing concern in the fire service: cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty death among firefighters in the United States, according to research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Firefighters face elevated rates of several cancers linked to repeated exposure to smoke, combustion byproducts, and carcinogenic particles that cling to skin, hair, and protective gear during fire suppression. Without a place to shower and decontaminate gear at the station, those toxins often travel home with firefighters at the end of a shift.

District officials describe on-site decontamination infrastructure not as a comfort upgrade but as a frontline defense for the people who respond to emergencies in the community.

AGING FLEET, RISING COSTS

The district’s brush truck fleet has surpassed its expected service life, showing frequent mechanical failures and the absence of modern safety features such as rollover protection and current NFPA-compliant systems.

Officials also point to a capability gap in technical rescue and water response, saying a dedicated rescue truck would reduce the district’s reliance on mutual aid partners as call volumes tied to motor vehicle accidents and medical emergencies continue to rise.

District leaders say the cost of building fire stations and purchasing apparatus has climbed sharply in recent years. A new custom pumper that cost around $400,000 to $450,000 a decade ago now regularly exceeds $900,000, they say, and construction costs for public safety facilities have followed a similar trajectory. Waiting to act, officials argue, will only increase the price tag for the same improvements.

FREEING UP THE OPERATING BUDGET

Beyond construction and equipment, passage of Proposition Fire would let the district retire existing lease obligations on two tanker/pumpers and one engine, freeing money currently committed to debt service in the annual operating budget.

District leadership says that flexibility, combined with a clearer picture of how Missouri Senate Bill 190 & Senate Bill 3 will affect district revenue, could support more competitive starting salaries for career firefighters, a modernized pay-per-call system for volunteers, membership in the Missouri Firefighters Critical Illness Pool, training certification incentives, and expanded mental health resources for members and their families.

That budget picture is further complicated by the Missouri Hancock Amendment, a constitutional provision that limits how much local governments, including fire protection districts, can increase existing tax revenue from year to year without a vote of the people. District officials say the amendment effectively caps the growth of the district’s existing revenue even as call volumes, equipment costs, and staffing needs continue to rise, leaving little room within the current operating budget to absorb major capital needs like new stations and apparatus. Bond financing, they say, is one of the few tools available under state law to make investments of this size without running up against that cap.

Bond proceeds themselves cannot legally be used for salaries or day-to-day operating costs. Under Missouri law, general obligation bond funds are restricted to capital expenses such as land, construction, and equipment.

BOND VS. LEVY: WHY THIS APPROACH

District officials say they considered a property tax levy increase as an alternative but concluded it would not generate funding timely enough for large capital projects. A levy increase raises revenue gradually and can fund ongoing operating costs, but it is permanent unless later reduced by voters. A bond, by contrast, provides a lump sum for capital projects up front, repaid through a dedicated levy that expires once the bonds are paid off.

“Proposition Fire is a bond measure, not a permanent tax increase,” the district said in materials distributed to voters. “When the bonds are paid off, the associated levy goes away with them.”

WHAT IS THE COST

District officials estimate Proposition Fire would add approximately 23 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to the district’s tax levy. For a home assessed at $250,000, that translates to an estimated $109 per year; for a vehicle assessed at $30,000, the estimated impact is about $23 per year. The district has posted a calculator on its website that lets residents enter their own assessed valuation to calculate the projected increase to their individual tax bill.

The additional levy would be temporary, officials say, tied directly to the repayment schedule of the $4.5 million in bonds. Once the bonds are retired, typically over a period of 15 to 20 years, the associated levy would end, unlike a permanent increase to the district’s operating tax rate.

BALLOT LANGUAGE AND TRANSPARENCY

The ballot language voters will see does not explicitly state that approval of Proposition Fire would raise taxes, a point raised in recent local television coverage of the measure. District officials say the wording follows the form set out in Missouri Statute Chapter 321, Section 360 (RSMo 321.360), which governs ballot language for fire protection district bond elections and states only that the “amount of the issue and the purpose” appear on the ballot.

“The District’s number one priority is the safety of its citizens. Its second priority is transparency,” district officials said, adding that while the ballot language itself follows the statutory form, the district has “intentionally distributed informational material explaining that the bond issue would be a tax increase.”

Officials point to the calculator on the district’s website, centralcrossingfpd.org/proposition-fire, which lets residents enter their own assessed valuation to see the specific dollar impact on their tax bill. “We wouldn’t be asking for the general obligation bond issue if it wasn’t needed. Not wanted, but needed,” the district said, describing the printed materials and online resources together as an effort to be, in officials’ words, “100 percent upfront with the voters and taxpayers of the District.”

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Voters within the Central Crossing Fire Protection District, which covers roughly 140 square miles across parts of Barry and Stone counties, including the Shell Knob community and the surrounding Table Rock Lake region, will cast ballots on Proposition Fire on August 4. Registered voters with questions about polling locations or registration status should contact the Barry or Stone County Clerk’s office.

Questions about the bond measure or the district’s plans can be directed to Fire Chief Rusty Rickard OR Assistant Chief Kyle Moore at (417) 858-3560. They can also be contacted via email at [email protected] OR [email protected].