Denton County emergency service districts report recovery, adopt operations plan and budget priorities

Denton County emergency services leaders told the Denton County Commissioners Court on Jan. 28 that Emergency Service Districts 1 and 2 have stabilized after a multi-year institutional crisis, adopted a short- and long-term master plan and are implementing new staffing and capital programs to meet rapidly rising demand.

In a presentation led by Sheldon Gilbert and Chief Vaughn, district leaders said the combined ESDs have moved from “survival” and “recovery” into “sustainability” and are now pursuing a “high-performing organization” goal. The presenters said the districts have adopted financial controls recommended in a forensic audit, established capital replacement and reserve funds, and put human-resources and financial best practices in place.

The update matters because call volumes and growth in southwest Denton County have surged. Chief Vaughn said call volume rose about 18.8% year-over-year; leaders said population and new commercial and residential developments, including hotels and large apartment complexes near the Alliance corridor, are driving the increased demand.

To address the change in risk and demand, the ESDs adopted a combined tax rate they said is consistent with area jurisdictions — a total of 16 cents per $100 of valuation, described as 6 cents for ESD 1 and 10 cents for ESD 2 to fund EMS services. The presenters said the 2025 budget priorities include creating a capital replacement program, building reserve funding, replacing overdue equipment and improving staffing levels. They reported 16 firefighters hired in the last year, new battalion chief 24/7 coverage, an administrative chief and improved HR and finance staffing.

District leaders outlined near-term projects: adding an ambulance at the Copper Canyon/Lantana station to reduce response-time gaps and opening a new station (referred to as Station 512) in Northlake with an anticipated groundbreaking in February and service beginning in early summer. They said the new station will be a prefabricated modular building and estimated the project cost in the neighborhood of $4 million to $5 million.

Operations changes reported included replacement and orders for apparatus (engines, a ladder truck and ambulances), hiring an assistant fire marshal to support municipal code enforcement, and creation of a dashboard tied to a newly adopted 2025–2027 strategic plan (six strategic initiatives, 24 goals, 79 objectives) to track progress.

Commissioners and the county judge praised the districts’ turnaround. Commissioner Edmonson and Commissioner Dean noted the districts had recovered after earlier corruption and leadership problems and commended the ESDs for restoring transparency and operational continuity.

The presentation was informational; no formal action was required by the court at the meeting. District leaders said the strategic dashboard will be made available to the public and that residents will be invited to the Northlake station groundbreaking in February.