Commissioners weigh raising monthly support for volunteer fire departments, reserve for rescue truck

Erath County Commissioners Court on July 16 heard a fire department budget request that included increased personnel pay lines, pager purchases and a recommendation to raise the monthly interlocal support the county provides to volunteer departments.

Fire leadership asked the court to consider increasing the county''s monthly payment to several volunteer departments. Staff suggested boosting interlocal support for the county''s six primary volunteer organizations so that each would receive an increased monthly amount (discussion focused on moving from the existing $1,000 range toward $2,000 per month for each department). Commissioners signaled openness to increasing that support and requested staff return with exact annual cost comparisons and a recommendation.

Capital planning: fire staff reviewed a contingency approach for a larger rescue or engine purchase. Commissioners noted a prior allocation of approximately $800,000 in county capital improvement funds that could be used if the court finds an appropriate, ready‑to‑purchase apparatus. Officials discussed the tradeoffs between custom fire apparatus and commercial chassis, noting custom apparatuses are often priced higher and delivery timelines can be long.

Other requests: the department asked for pager replacements and other noncapital items to support volunteer responders and replacement bunker gear; staff noted recent purchases of a small number of gear sets and suggested continued cycles for consumables.

Ending: commissioners directed staff to provide precise annual costs for increased interlocal payments, to confirm any outstanding checks to outside departments, and to consider keeping a capital contingency so the county can act quickly if a usable apparatus becomes available.