VIENNA — The Maries–Osage Ambulance District is joining the growing conversation about the proposed one percent 911 sales tax that will appear on the November ballot throughout Maries County. With election day approaching, the district’s leaders, including Director Carla Butler, say their concern isn’t about politics or budgets, it’s about time and safety.

“If it doesn’t pass, we’d have to transfer everything over to Osage County,” Butler said. “That means Maries County residents could face a delay in getting help. Even thirty seconds in a cardiac arrest is a long time. Every second counts.”

Currently, the district operates under two dispatch centers, one in Maries County and another in Osage County. If the sales tax fails, all 911 calls from Maries County would need to be routed through Osage County’s system. That extra step, the director said, could slow the response in critical situations.

“Every second matters when someone’s heart stops,” she said. “That’s the reality of what we do.”

The proposed sales tax would replace the landline fee that has long contributed to funding 911 dispatch. If approved, the one-percent sales tax would serve as the sole source of funding for 911 dispatch services. Missouri law does allow for a three percent statewide surcharge that can be applied to prepaid cellphone services for 911 dispatch. However, to County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers, a county must have a certain population to qualify for the surcharge and Maries County falls short of the population threshold.

As fewer households rely on landlines, funding has decreased. While the sheriff’s office currently oversees the dispatch center’s daily operations, the county covers all expenses, which total about $206,000 each year. The jail’s opperations fall under the purview the sheriff’s office, which already experiences a $374,500 short fall annually that is offset by the county.

In past interviews, staff at the Maries County Sheriff’s Office, including Sheriff Mark Morgan, described dispatchers balancing emergency calls, radio traffic and inmate supervision, often simultaneously.

“I was a deputy in 2016, and back then we had to help dispatch services,” Morgan said. “This isnt something new that just started, its something that has been happening for years. If the dispatcher has to use the restroom, someone has to be in that room so jail personnel has to help. 911 dispatch doesnt have enough budget to operate alone and does not have the funds for training, stafing or even uniforms.”

Butler echoed those concerns.

“Dispatchers shouldn’t be part of the jail booking process,” she said. “They need to be their own entity, in their own building, with their own staff.”

If the measure passes, the proposal would make 911 dispatch a standalone operation, independent of other emergency agencies, including the sheriff’s office, and potentially improving coordination among emergency services. While Butler said she was not yet sure what specific upgrades would be made in the 911 dispatch center if the tax is approved, both she and the Maries-Osage Ambulance District board fully supports the measure.

“Yes, I support one hundred percent,” Butler said.