Getting a discussion going on emergency service districts is the goal of a town hall meeting set for 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at Buddy West Elementary School, 2225 Sycamore Drive.
Emergency Use Districts are exclusively for fire, EMS or both, County Judge Dustin Fawcett said.
“It has a cap on the on the property tax rate of 10 cents per $100 valuation, so it has some metrics there to allow folks to feel a little bit more comfortable with exclusively providing these certain services,” Fawcett said. “I think it’s a worthy discussion to at least get folks talking about it. Whether or not this is the actual route the citizens in unincorporated Ector County go, that’s not our goal. It’s up to them, but I want to provide them certain resources.”
SAFE-D Executive Director Cliff Avery will be on hand to take questions.
SAFE-D is the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts.
Fawcett said Avery will be able to talk people through emergency use districts. Commissioner Precinct 1 Mike Gardner will also be there.
“My goal is over this next year is to have a series of town halls throughout all of Ector County and talk about these different concepts of what incorporation is or what emergency service districts are … That way the citizens know what options they have for a version of self-governance to some aspect,” Fawcett said.
There was a meeting last year in West Odessa on self-governance that Fawcett said started off hostile, but after the hour and a half meeting people were laughing and smiling and complimented what the county was talking about.
“We planted a seed that I think has taken on a good life … People are interested in the concept. The first 30 minutes was really pushing back over the thought that they were going to be annexed by the City of Odessa. … That was the reason for their hostility. It was not that they were against this concept. They were actually quite in favor. I bet if we had taken a poll at that time it would have passed from those people that were in there. They were all nodding and agreeing that emergency services should be prioritized,” Fawcett said.
