Find your address, see the estimated change in your EMS tax, and learn about the referendum and voting.
St. Clair County Voter ResourcesFind your address to see your EMS tax now, your tax with the ESD, and the yearly increase.
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We use the planned 0.30% ESD rate. Our plan adds no separate IMRF levy. For Millstadt Fire District, the comparison replaces the existing 0.09% ambulance levy.
The county’s 2025 report lists Millstadt’s 0.09% ambulance levy on page 57. The Hecker and Waterloo pages list no separate ambulance levy. The address lookup uses the district in your county record.
Use these estimates for property inside the proposed ESD. A mailing address alone does not establish the tax district. A future bill can change with property values, exemptions and the adopted tax rate. Other taxes are outside this comparison.
County property-value guide · Illinois exemption guide · Referendum facts and ballot language
The November 3, 2026 ballot question asks whether to create Millstadt EMS ESD and authorize its base property-tax levy up to 0.40%. Approval would authorize that rate; it would not require the board to levy the maximum.
Our plan uses a 0.30% total ESD property-tax rate with no separate IMRF levy added on top. Our proposed budget includes IMRF and other employer costs. The new district's board would adopt the actual levy within its legal authority.
In Millstadt Fire District, this calculator compares its certified 0.09% ambulance levy with the planned 0.30% ESD levy, assuming the existing ambulance levy is replaced. The difference is 0.21 percentage points: $21 per year for every $10,000 of taxable value.
For the included Hecker and Waterloo portions, the county's 2025 reports list no separate ambulance levy. We subtract no ambulance levy there, so the estimated increase is the full planned 0.30%: $30 per year for every $10,000 of taxable value. Other fire taxes are outside this comparison.
Section 2 conditions overlapping ambulance service on a Fire District resolution to cease its ambulance levy and the ESD operating ambulance service in that territory. A vote alone does not establish the effective tax-bill year. Fire-protection taxes are separate.
Our current funding is not sustainable for the service we plan to provide. Our proposed annual budget covers personnel, medical supplies, ambulances, equipment, debt payments, and savings for future replacements.
These annual projections include property-tax revenue at the proposed 0.30% rate.
We fund our service through property taxes and ambulance billing. Our financial records below show changes in savings, overdue bills, and results from our latest completed audit.
This account decreased by about 93%. We used funds for payroll transfers and a $25,000 truck down payment. These balances cover our money-market account only.
Our September 30, 2026 proposed budget lists $66,330.66 in past-due bills. We prioritized payroll, leaving certain vendors unpaid.
Our latest completed audit covers the year ending April 30, 2025. We reported $974,719 in revenue and $876,668 in expenses, with a $98,051 increase in net assets. Our cash and cash equivalents totaled $141,516 on that date.
Net assets include more than cash. Our FY 2025–2026 audit is awaiting completion.
Our August 13, 2026 collection report lists $441,847 collected against a $295,230 target for January through partial August. This reports collections for that period, rather than our current bank balance.
If we cannot secure sufficient funding through the proposed district or another arrangement, we could have to reduce operations or close.
A “Yes” vote would authorize the district and its base levy. A “No” vote would leave the proposed district unformed. Any service reduction or closure would depend on funding and operating decisions; it would not happen automatically because of the vote.
Section 22(a)(3) of the Fire Protection District Act requires fire districts to cause ambulance service to be provided when adequate and continuing service does not exist.
That requirement does not specify our organization, a station in Millstadt, or unchanged arrival times. A replacement service's arrangements would determine its staffing, location, and coverage.
An ambulance traveling from farther away or handling another call could take longer to arrive. Actual arrival times depend on vehicle locations, staffing, dispatch, and other calls; we cannot give a specific estimate for a future replacement service.
Illinois EMS rules require documented coverage, response-time commitments, and written mutual-aid and backup arrangements.
77 Ill. Admin. Code 515.810, including paragraphs (e), (f) and (h) ↗
Illinois' HB5133 proposes an essential-service designation and broader municipal and county obligations. As of October 2, 2026, its listed status is referred to committee, not enacted.
The existing Fire District service responsibilities and Illinois EMS coverage rules still apply.
HB5133 legislative status ↗ · Current Fire Protection District Act ↗
The ballot question names the Millstadt Fire Protection District; the portion of the Hecker Fire Protection District in Millstadt Township, excluding its Prairie du Long Township portion; and the portion of the Waterloo Community Fire Protection District in St. Clair County. The Smithton Fire Protection District is not named in that description.
A mailing address alone does not establish membership. Use the certified district boundaries and County Clerk records to confirm a parcel. View official voter resources →
People opposing the referendum are distributing this flyer with a handwritten $424 annual estimate. Below is a comparison with the county's property record and the planned 0.30% rate.
Tax year 2025 · payable 2026
Parcel 12-10.0-414-002
The county record lists three granted exemption amounts: $6,000 + $5,000 + $2,000 = $13,000. These apply to this property for 2025; they are not an amount everyone receives. The county separately lists $105,899 as the net taxable value used below. See the county's exemption amounts ↗
$105,899 × 0.004 = $423.60, which rounds to $424. The amount written on the flyer matches the full levy at 0.40%, using the value after exemptions. Its authors did not include their calculation, so this is a numerical match, not confirmation of their method.
It is not the net increase under the 0.30% plan. At that rate, the estimated new levy is $317.70. Subtract the current 0.09% amount of $95.31 to get the estimated increase.
$18.53 per month equivalent
This holds the 2025 taxable value constant, assumes the existing 0.09% levy ends, and excludes any separate additional levies. It is a rate comparison, not a guaranteed future tax bill. Verify the county record ↗
| Scenario | Annual EMS levy | Increase over 0.09% |
|---|---|---|
| 0.09% current ambulance portion | $95.31 | — |
| 0.30% planning rate | $317.70 | $222.39 |
| 0.40% ballot base-levy limit | $423.60 | $328.29 |
| 0.50% illustration from the flyer* | $529.50 | $434.19 |
*The 0.50% row illustrates the flyer's separate combined-rate scenario. It is not an adopted rate, a verified forecast, or a legal ceiling. Annual amounts are rounded to cents before subtraction.
No. Our plan does not add a separate IMRF levy on top of 0.30%. Our proposed budget includes IMRF, payroll taxes, workers' compensation, and insurance, with no separate add-on property-tax revenue for those costs.
Illinois law authorizes certain separate levies, subject to eligibility and district action. IMRF's guidance also allows transfers from other operating funds. Legal authority to levy an additional tax does not mean the agency plans to use it.
Our plan uses 0.30% in total. The flyer's 0.50% scenario assumes additional taxes; the cited law does not impose an automatic 0.10% surcharge. The future board would determine actual levies within its legal authority, which includes certain separate levies beyond the ballot's 0.40% base limit.
EMS budget · 40 ILCS 5/7-171 · IMRF funding guidance · Social Security/Medicare authority · Liability authority
The county's 2025 computation report lists 0.0900% as the actual ambulance-fund rate and 0.2500% as its maximum. That supports the flyer's reference to existing taxing capacity.
Available taxing authority does not mean an increase has been approved, that a request will be granted, or that a particular service plan will be fully funded. Those are separate decisions requiring supporting records.
Seeking competitive bids is also a separate policy choice. The flyer provides no awarded contract or comparable bid prices establishing a cost saving.
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