Proposition Police and Fire
Support Our Police and Firefighters, Vote YES on PROPOSITION POLICE and FIRE on April 7, 2026.
Joplin’s Proposition Police and Fire supports our police and firefighters through a vital tax continuation that strengthens community safety. Supporting Joplin’s police and firefighters keeps our community safe and strong.
What is being proposed?
A no-tax-increase permanent funding source for YOUR Joplin Police and Fire Departments.
- Proposition Police & Fire is for a ½-cent Public Safety Sales Tax, replacing the current ½-cent “Prop B” Pension Sales Tax, resulting in no tax increase to citizens and visitors to our community.
- Earmarked for Police, Fire, and Dispatch only.
- Without a sunset because it will be used for:
- Staffing
- Pay & benefits
- Capital expenditures (facilities, vehicles & equipment)
- Secures funding to improve critical public safety services for today and future generations.
- The continuation of the ½-cent tax rate will take effect in 2027 only after the current “Prop B” tax obligations have been met and expired.
Why is this being proposed?
Recent Public Safety Investments and Improvements:
The City, IAFF and FOP have worked diligently o improve public safety services for the community. Since 2020, the City has accomplished the following:
- Built Fire Station 7
- Replaced 3 fire engines (total cost approximately $4.3m)
- Added 5 additional positions to the Fire Department
- Added 6 additional positions to the Police Department
- Added “Take Home” vehicles for the Police Department
- Created a Police Flex Platoon
- Created a Police Co-Responder Unit
- Police implemented a part-time bicycle patrol
- Improved wages for Police and Fire personnel
Public Safety Challenges:
Despite these improvements, the Police and Fire Departments are falling behind in competitive pay, routinely losing experienced and highly-trained leaders to better-paying departments, and struggling to maintain full staffing.
Public Safety departments are expensive to operate. Police and Fire have large staffs with specialized equipment, needed to protect the City around the clock in shifts. In the 2026 general (operating) fund budget, the 1% sales tax (main revenue source) is budgeted to generate just over $18 million, while the budgeted expenditures for the police and fire departments are $19.8 million.
The proposed tax replacement would provide a permanent dedicated funding source, allowing the City to implement pay increases as negotiated with the Police and Fire unions without a tax increase. Currently, the average starting pay for a Police Officer is approximately $12,000 less than the regional average, while the average starting pay for a Firefighter is approximately $7,000 less than the regional average.
Police & Fire Starting Annual Pay Comparison
| Job Title | Joplin Starting Pay | Regional Average Starting Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Firefighter/EMT | $40,125 | $47,849 |
| Police Officer | $40,800 | $53,043 |
©Joplin Protect 2026