News From the Commissioners of Tarrant County ESD 1

The Emergency Service District Board met over the summer to address the growing population of the district. With the newly realized revenue from the taxpayer approved sales tax, the commissioners began conversations about ways to improve and enhance response times and equipment shortages. Some short-term solutions were agreed upon in the late spring that allowed both Rendon and Eagle Mountain to receive funding to add an extra crew and ambulance to their departments.

The commissioners requested bids from contractors to conduct a study that would produce data for the district regarding where the largest needs were for service, response times in all district areas, and where the district needs to improve overall service and equipment. The study is ongoing and should be reported at the first of the year or slightly before. In the meantime, the new ambulance crews added to Rendon and Eagle Mountain are lowering EMS response times in the areas that are already seen as needing better service.

In September, the commissioners voted unanimously to pass the balanced budget and set the property tax rate of the Emergency Service District at the No New Revenue Rate.

Currently, the Emergency Services Board is working to prepare for the expected data from their study by researching cost effective ways to add services to the district where citizens have made them aware of slow response times and lacking service.