Tax levy would increase Logan-Rogersville firefighter wages

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — Voters in the Logan-Rogersville Fire District will decide in August whether to raise the starting pay for their firefighters.

Logan-Rogersville Fire Chief Richard Stirts says Proposition 1 would raise the starting pay for firefighters from $13.50 an hour to $17.75 an hour.

“It is harder and harder every year to provide the services,” says Stirts.

Stirts said the economy, the rise in calls for services and a desire to limit employee turnover is what inspired Proposition 1 for many voters inside the district, within Greene, Christian and Webster counties.

“It’s hard for us to operate and keep people here. We’ve had roughly 32 turnovers in three years, 36% of the staff, and so that’s a whole new staff every three years,” Stirts said. “It costs a lot of money to train those folks. Again, people are leaving for many different reasons. They’re going to other fire districts going to work, or in the private sector. Private sector wages went up and really the public sector always struggles behind them.”

The idea is a 25-cent tax levy to allow for employee wage raises.

“The economy is not that well and it’s gotten to the point where we’re Proposition 1 will be on the August six ballot asking for a 25-cent levy increase in our main focus is going to be on firefighter retention and benefits, maybe at a few staff,” Stirts said. “Our guys are currently making $13.50 an hour and we’d like to get them to $17.75 for a starting wage, and so that’s what we’re Proposition 1 will be on the August 6th ballot. For the cost on a $200,000 value, it’s going to cost you $8 a month.”

Stirts said with the way firefighter shifts work, the hourly increase would put starting firefighter salaries at $51,972 a year if passed.

OzarksFirst checked in with other area fire districts to see where Logan-Rogersville would compare.

In Ozark, officials tell OzarksFirst the starting annual salary is $41,808.

In Bolivar, their communications team says it’s slightly less, around $41,000 annually.

In Nixa, OzarksFirst was told over the phone, the annual salary is around $40,250.

“Our goal is to maintain the same service or improve the service we got today,” Stirts said. “We mainly stayed in our economic urban place where we lose people too. We lose some people to Strafford or we lose some people to Springfield.”

Stirts calls it a balancing act, trying to maintain the district while having to ask voters for more money to support it.

“We’ve tried to do the most of the people we can and we understand that it’s tough economics right now, and not all everybody can vote for it or not everybody can afford it,” Stirts said. “Our guys are really struggling where people can up there in a private sector up their price of product. We don’t have that. We have to ask the public to help support it.”

Captain Chris Wescoat is on the staff under Stirts.

Westcoat said he’s seen people leave simply because they couldn’t afford to stay, or have to get a second job.

“A lot of us work other jobs. We talk about making money elsewhere on our days off and some of us out of necessity, some of us out of just something else to do, depending on who it is that’s doing the extra work,” Wescoat said. “I was full time here and I actually left and worked some other places and they had a little bit higher salaries, higher benefits, then over time, Rogersville was able to catch up.”

As a staff member who does part of the training for new firefighters, employee retention is important to Wescoat.

“There is a little bit of a … at times frustration where, you know, I may spend a year or two training someone and getting them up to speed,” Wescoat said. “They got experience and then they up and leave and go somewhere else, and now I got to start the whole process over again.”

Stirt said he understands why people would vote for or against it.

“We’ve had really positive comments and really positive feedback. Very few people have been against it,” Stirts said. “Obviously it’s a tax and so there is going to be people against it.”

OzarksFirst talked to some Rogersville residents and got mixed reviews on the idea of another tax.

Stirts said if you want more information, just reach out.

“If you need the information you can get on our website and our or stop by and visit me. Give me a call, call the fire station,” Stirts said.

The election for this issue will be on August 6, 2024.

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