Volunteer firefighters tell Uvalde County commissioners some residents oppose new emergency service district

Volunteer firefighters and residents told the Uvalde County Commissioners Court on June 17 that some property owners oppose forming a new emergency service district, and that local chiefs were not informed in advance of petition activity.

A volunteer firefighter representative speaking during public comment said, “we just didn't know about it,” describing outreach after a petition circulated and reporting a split among property owners. The speaker said teams gathered signatures and that roughly half of the voters approached did not support the ESD.

The comment followed remarks from other speakers who said they value the services volunteer departments provide but oppose creating a new property-taxing entity. One commenter said they lobbied “against the property taxing institute” last year while still supporting the firefighters’ work.

Speakers pressed the court on how ESD participation and incorporation decisions are made for subdivisions and development areas, asking who decides whether a community is included in an ESD and urging commissioners to respect residents’ choices. A public commenter said it is “incumbent on this commissioner's court to respect that community, that fire department, and those voters.”

No formal motion or vote regarding the ESD formation was recorded on the transcript excerpts provided. The discussion during public comment contrasted the value residents place on volunteer fire services with skepticism about adding a taxing authority. Commissioners did not record a decision on the petition during the public-comment portion shown.

Speakers said they had circulated a petition and collected signatures from property owners; the transcript does not provide a final count of registered voters or a certified petition outcome, nor does it show any formal action by the court on the petition at this meeting.