Chief says county liaison overstepped after Act 91 access was withheld from two VFDs

Chief Charles Holt of the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department urged the Kerr County Commissioner’s Court to preserve volunteer departments’ decision‑making on supplemental services after six chiefs reportedly withheld Act 91 (901) access from two departments that opted out of CARFA.

Holt said the withholding was “not a move of malice” but of “administrative consistency,” and accused a county liaison of “bullying those chiefs and reverse[ing] in their votes.” He told the court dispatch has “successfully toned out everyone by radio for years” and argued there was “no technical or legal reason why the six departments using act 91 cannot continue to do so while others rely on the radios.”

Holt framed Act 91 as a supplemental benefit tied to CARFA participation and warned against an “all or nothing” approach that, he said, forces independent departments into a one‑size‑fits‑all model and risks stripping local volunteer organizations of their sovereignty. “If we allow liaisons to dictate the supplemental benefits, [it] must be universal regardless of membership dues,” he said, adding that the county should avoid “strong‑arm” tactics.

Court members did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting. The comment came during the public‑input portion of the agenda; there was no recorded motion or vote related to dispatch policy or CARFA at this meeting. The presiding officer acknowledged the concern and moved on to subsequent agenda items.

Next steps: Holt asked the court to revisit the liaison arrangement for volunteer fire departments; the court did not schedule a specific follow‑up during the session.