A sales tax proposal is on the April 7 Municipal Election ballot to fund critical infrastructure for the Kirksville Police Department and Kirksville Fire Department. This proposal would fund one new fire station on the north side of the city and one new station on the south side, improving response times for incidents where every second counts. It would also fund a new police station that can best support effective and efficient law enforcement.

View the information on this page to learn more about the proposal.

Challenges With The Current Police Station

The current station is a converted bank. It doesn't adequately meet the department's needs because it wasn't built for that purpose. There is a lack of usable space for department operations, and expanding the building is cost-prohibitive. 

View the photos below to see exactly how the space hampers the department.

Booking happens downstairs, meaning officers have to assist someone in handcuffs — and who may be combative or under the influence of something — down a flight of stairs. That is a safety liability for the officers and the person in custody. 

There's no holding cell for someone being booked, so two officers have to be used for this process. One does the booking work while the other watches the person in custody. It takes away an officer who could be doing something else.

There isn't enough space to dedicate to evidence processing. This table is where briefings occur, where officers eat meals while on shift, and where evidence is processed. The table is rigorously cleaned to preserve the integrity of investigations.

The picture above shows the Kirksville Regional Computer Crimes Unit, an affiliate agency with the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. KRCCU cases include the possession and distribution of child pornography, fraud, financial crimes and drug investigations. 

This converted storage closet is the space the unit has to operate. It has to keep computers, phones, tablets and other electronics for long periods of time because investigations and court proceedings can take a long time. That reduces the amount of space in the lab.   

Some officers are doubled-up in an office because there's nowhere else to put them. 

This is the men's locker room. During shift change, one crew is getting out of uniform and another crew is getting into uniform at the same time. That makes a tight fit for those officers to change.

Challenges With The Current Fire Station

The current station is centrally located in Kirksville, creating longer response times to the north and south parts of the city. The industry standard for response time is approximately four minutes. The map below shows how much of the city can be reached from the current station in that time, which is approximately half of the city. 

Why is four minutes an important metric? Flashover, the point where all combustible materials in an enclosed space ignite, happens between three and five minutes. With more synthetic materials in homes these days, that time can be lower.

Kirksville's shape and size are challenges for a centrally located station. See the graph below for cities comparable in population and square miles, and how many stations they use.

Sales Tax Proposal

The proposal on the April 7 ballot is a $0.00375 (3/8 of one cent) per $1 sales tax to fund two fire stations and a new police station. 

The map above shows the improved fire coverage with a north and south station. The north station would be at the intersection of Industrial Road and Highway 6. The south station would be near the intersection of LaHarpe Street and Halliburton Street. Both locations provide improved access to those areas of Kirksville.

The new police station would be located near the corner of Missouri Street and Main Street, which is currently a City parking lot. This new station would fix the issues shown above and help the department uphold efficient and effective law enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will the stations cost?

The total cost is estimated at $29.4 million, with $11 million for the police station and $9 million for each fire station. 

How much will the sales tax generate?

It would generate approximately $1.48 million each year. The City will allocate $500,000 toward the project annually.

Who will pay this sales tax?

Both residents and nonresidents who shop in Kirksville and depend on public safety.

How much is the sales tax?

It is $0.00375 (3/8 of one cent) per $1. 

What would the sales tax rate be?

The City's base sales tax rate would go from 2.75% to 3.125%. The overall sales tax rate would go from 8.725% to 9.1%.  

Breakdown of current sales tax rate: 

• State: 4.225% 
• City of Kirksville: 2.75% 
• Adair County: 1.25% 
• Adair County Ambulance District: 0.50%

What would that cost look like?

• Add 1¢ to a $3 cup of coffee 
• Add 37¢ to a $100 purchase 
• Add $1.125 to a $300 grocery purchase

How long would it be in effect for?

A maximum of 25 years. But if the debt service can be paid off sooner, the tax would end sooner. 

Will more firefighters be hired?

No additional firefighters are needed to operate two stations.

How is this different from the previous proposal?

The City listened to feedback from residents and tailored this proposal specifically for police and fire services.