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Residents and local firefighters urge pause on plan for a city-run Hutto fire department
Summary
Multiple public commenters, including firefighters and longtime EMS personnel, urged Hutto leaders to pause plans for a city-run fire department, citing cost comparisons, existing ESD No. 3 coverage and concerns about reduced service and transparency.
Public comment at the joint City Council and Hutto Economic Development Corporation meeting on May 26 centered on opposition to a proposed city-run fire department and requests for greater transparency. Several speakers asked officials to pause action until financial and legal questions are answered.
Shane Acosta, vice president of the Hutto Professional Firefighters Association, said the current district “is a very highly qualified department” and warned that “to start over with a new department, it's going to take years, if not decades, to get the qualifications” the community now enjoys. Acosta noted the department’s ISO 1 rating and specialized training and said a new city department would not quickly reach that level.
Resident Stephen Harris cited an independent 2022 analysis by Dr. Ray Perryman and said, according to that study, “Williamson County ESD Number 3 delivers fire protection to Hutto residents at $95.64 per person per year,” a per-capita cost he said is lower than typical city-managed fire services. Harris warned that forming a city department would shift ongoing operating costs to city taxpayers and that unlike the ESD’s tax cap, a city fire department would have no similar constitutional cap.
Peter Gordon urged the council to seek an Attorney General opinion on agenda posting and legal sufficiency, saying the public deserves clarity on whether prior votes and notices met state requirements. He also questioned whether EDC commitments already planned for infrastructure would be the best use of funds if a new fire department is pursued.
Jason McCain, who described more than 30 years in career fire and EMS, said a single-apparatus city department would be unable to handle large incidents without relying heavily on mutual aid, and described the proposal as likely to reduce service levels while increasing costs.
The public-comment period closed before the council and EDC recessed into executive session. Speakers asked officials to publish communications between the city and ESD No. 3 where relevant and to provide clear cost projections before proceeding.
