Brad Kellar
The Herald Banner, Greenville, Texas
The Hunt County Commissioners Court is expected to resume plans to brief the public about the proposed creation of an Emergency Services District, also referred to as an ESD, in Hunt County, along with the establishment of a tax rate connected to the district.
Public hearings on the project had been scheduled in March 2020 and again in early February, with the intention on putting the issue on the May 1 election ballot. But the meetings was canceled.
At the time of the latest cancellation, County Judge Bobby Stovall said an informational town hall meeting with respect to the ESD would be scheduled for May 2021 and that the public hearing with respect to the same would be rescheduled for July 2021.
The commissioners are scheduled during today’s regular session to consider a rental agreement with the Greenville Municipal Auditorium for an upcoming Emergency Services District meeting.
The commissioners are set to convene the regular session starting at 10 a.m. in the Auxiliary Courtroom, 2700 Johnson Street in Greenville. The meeting will be open to the public and will also be conducted via telephone and/or video conference and streamed at www.huntcounty.net/page/hunt.health_services
The earlier public hearings on the proposed ESD were expected to consider two significant issues, the purpose for the creation of the district and the possible tax rate which would be implemented with its creation.
After the hearing, if the commissioners determine the creation of an ESD is feasible and would promote the public safety, welfare, health and convenience of the residents of the proposed ESD, the commissioners’ court would grant the petition and set the ESD’s boundaries.
The name of the proposed ESD is Hunt County Emergency Services District No. 1. The boundaries of the proposed ESD are the entire territorial limits Hunt County, except for the territorial limits of the cities of Commerce, Greenville, Josephine and the Royse City.
Under a Fire Protection Agreement Contract between the commissioners’ court and the members of the Hunt County Firefighters Association, each department receives a $2,400 monthly stipend from the county to assist with operating expenses.
An ESD is a political subdivision of the state of Texas that has taxing authority to provide emergency medical services, ambulance services and fire prevention and would be governed by a five-member board of commissioners, each serving two-year staggered terms. The board would be appointed by the commissioners’ court.
The creation of an ESD would allow for the setting of a tax rate, with the funding going toward the county’s fire and rescue units, up to a maximum of 10 cents per $100 valuation.
The election would ask residents within the proposed ESD to confirm the ESD’s creation and authorize the imposition of the property tax rate.
The commissioners last examined the possibility of an ESD in early 2009 and turned it down at that time as being unfeasible.
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