Emergency district approved

By Rich Flowers

May 12, 2008 09:40 am

— In a light turnout, voters approved the proposed Brownsboro Emergency Services District Saturday, paving the way for increased funding for the Brownsboro Volunteer Fire Department.
The 106 to 86 vote gives the district the opportunity to add a fee of up to 10 cents per $100 valuation in addition to the ad valorem tax charged to property owners within its boundaries.
Early voters favored the proposal, 34-7, while ballots cast on election day gave the district a three vote edge, 82-79. The territory covered by the ESD will be similar to boundaries of the Brownsboro Independent School District.
“Now we can be in a position where we don’t have to live month to month, relying on donations only,” Brownsboro Volunteer Fire Chief Robert Chambers said. “Now we can set a budget and operate off that.”
Chambers said the next step will be to set up the ESD board. Members will be chosen by the Henderson County Commissioners Court. Once in place, the board will determine the tax rate the district will charge.
“It all depends on how fast we can get the board in place as to when it will take effect. It could be as much as a year from now,” Chambers said.
Asst. Chief Rusty Quattlebaum said creation of the district was critical to maintaining up-to-date fire and emergency services in an area with a growing population. The additional funds will be used for equipment and training.
“The need for the district is very high. Most people don’t realize how much it costs to operate a fire department that does the number of emergency runs we do,” Quattlebaum said. “A lot of people don’t realize how undefended our department is.”
A petition to call for the election was presented to the Henderson County Commissioners Court March 11. The commissioners set the date for the vote and scheduled a public hearing at the courthouse to discuss the issue.