Public commenters and founders warn ESD funding plan favors MUDs and developers

Multiple public commenters raised concerns that payments tied to the Emergency Services District would disproportionately benefit MUDs and developers rather than unincorporated residents. Richard Hill, who said he helped create the ESD, told the court that payments to MUDs and developers and recent decisions about dispatch fees have reduced the funds available for wider fire and EMS coverage.

"When it passed, I was proud of our work... I did not anticipate the commissioner court would impose its will over the commissioners of the ESD board and request, if not outright demand, adherence to the statement of shared principles," Richard Hill said, criticizing the outcome and urging the court to reverse the vote on dispatch fees and reallocate funds into the county budget. He asserted that roughly $4,300,000 would likely be paid to developers and that the ESD's effectiveness was at risk.

Kevin Rohrer, introduced by the court as a Farmersville resident, also questioned the mechanics and fairness of the funding allocation, using numerous numerical illustrations and expressing that MUDs receiving reimbursements could leave unincorporated service areas underfunded. Rohrer urged the county to consider whether countywide taxation or different allocation rules could better meet county needs and criticized perceived subsidies that allow MUDs to recoup contributions.

Commissioners responded: Judge Hill rebutted an accusation that his presence intimidated ESD board members into a vote, calling that assertion 'nonsense' and saying he did not support paying MUDs; other commissioners reiterated their intent to ensure wide coverage and said appointed commissioners were vetted against shared principles.