ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) – Roads, emergency services and population growth were topics of conversation in South Ector County Friday night.
That conversation was led by Ector County Commissioner Billy Hall and Judge Dustin Fawcett.
It’s just one stop on Fawcett’s tour of the county’s unincorporated communities. These town halls are a chance to find out what citizens care about, while educating them about emergency services districts, or ESDs.
Hall believes the ESD topic is why most people attended. The district is a potential way to establish consistent emergency services without incorporating.
“Because they live so far from town, in order for them to get a response it’s going to take forever for them to get to town, it seems,” Hall said. “And so they would like it a little closer to them. If that’s what they want, that’s what I want for them.”
A petition with 100 signatures for an ESD would be required to get the item on a ballot in a normal election.
It would require a property tax increase, but if all unincorporated areas joined together, that tax would generate millions to support full-time emergency personnel. Fawcett says it’d also save people significant money on their home insurance.
Fawcett wants people to get involved.
“We’re looking at having a citizen-led group to really lead this in the same way that you have a citizen-led group lead a bond election for the school district, or eventually for the courthouse. We’ll have the same thing,” Fawcett said. “We want the citizens to really engage, but my job right now is to provide the information to the citizens to the best of my ability.”
Citizens agreed that improving emergency response times is important, but how to do that was the main talking point.
Town halls are set for Gardendale and Goldsmith next. From there, Fawcett will host more conversations based on citizen demand.
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Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.