Welcome to the Future Home of Howard County Emergency Services District 1!

What Factors Are Facing the Local VFD?

Howard County VFD provides fire suppression to over 8,700 residents who live and work within the 900 square miles located in Howard County, Texas.

As the serviced areas continue to grow, increased demand on the VFD has placed greater strain on staffing levels to adequately respond to rising call volumes. Despite sound fiscal management and good stewardship, the VFD Board faces critical funding challenges that impact the department’s ability to staff responding apparatus. While the Board has managed to maintain apparatus and equipment to minimum standards through the 2024 fiscal year, sustaining operations has required heavy reliance on community contributions and fundraisers.

In order to regularly staff the stations, maintain equipment annually and replace aging equipment in a manageable staggered progression, the VFD will need additional funding, such as the taxing authority of an ESD, to fully realize the department's goal.

What are the Goals of the ESD, and Howard County VFD?

The VFD administration and volunteer membership have been working to address the issues facing the possible ESD by developing a strategic ten (10) year funding plan. The three overarching goals outlined in the long-range plan are:

• Recruitment and retention programs for qualified, certified fire department staffing
• Building of stations on District-acquired land, for comprehensive response modeling
• Replace apparatus to modernize and upgrade the aging fleet

Where Do We Stand in the Process Today?

The VFDs sent a petition, signed by over 200 residents from the response area to the Commissioner's court requesting a place on the upcoming election ballot to allow the voters to decide if the area needs an ESD. On January 27, 2025, Howard County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to approve the request to allow the residents of Howard County to vote on a measure to create an Emergency Services District.

Will My Taxes Immediately Go To $0.10/$100?

The ESD, if formed, would need to evaluate the current requirements and future goals of the VFD, establish and adopt an annual budget and strategic plan, and then set a tax rate to meet those goals. While the proposition authorizes the levy of up to $0.10/$100, the Board of Commissioners will evaluate the best tax rate to move forward with. The ad valorem tax rate is evaluated and reviewed every year moving forward and can go up or down as needed to properly fund the department and any debt service, but the tax rate can never exceed the authorized constitutional cap of $0.10/$100.

As part of the annual review of the property tax levy, the ESD can offer exemptions such as over-65, disabled veteran, and/or homestead. While ESDs do not “freeze” ad valorem levies like Independent School Districts (ISDs) can, offering these exemptions can provide a tax relief to the elderly or those on fixed incomes.

What Will the Ballot Look Like?

The May 3, 2025, ballot will ask residents to vote for or against the creation of an Emergency Services District, and the authorization to levy an ad valorem rate not to exceed $0.10/$100 valuation.

PROPOSITION A:

“PROPOSITION A: CONFIRMATION OF THE CREATION OF HOWARD COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT NO. 1 WHICH MAY IMPOSE AN AD VALOREM TAX RATE NOT TO EXCEED TEN $0.10/$100 AS ALLOWED BY SECTION 48-E, ARTICLE III OF THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION.”

Voters will need to be looking for this language if they wish to cast their vote regarding the proposition for Howard County Emergency Services District No. 1.

Doesn’t the VFD Have Paid Staff?

No. Currently the Howard County VFD has no paid staff. Howard County VFD operates with twenty-eight (28) volunteer members responding from eight (8) stations. All emergency responses are handled entirely by volunteers.

While this highlights the dedication of the department’s members, it does not fully reflect the challenges faced in ensuring consistent and adequate emergency response. Volunteer availability is often impacted by work obligations, family responsibilities, and other commitments, which can limit the number of responders available at any given time.

As a result, the department relies heavily on a small group of available volunteers to handle a large share of emergency calls.

What Happens if the Proposition Fails?

If voters do not approve the proposition creating the ESD and levying the ad valorem rate, the volunteer fire department will continue to operate as best as they can with the funding they currently have. However, as the increased call volume exceeds the ability for the VFD to respond, residents could face diminished response quality and longer response times.

When, Where, and How Can I Vote?

WHEN:

Early Voting will begin April 22^nd and run until April 29^th. Election Day is May 3^rd.

WHERE:

To stay up to date on your closest voting location please visit https://www.co.howard.tx.us/page/howard.Elections

HOW: Use these links to find information on the following topics:

Registering to vote: https://www.votetexas.gov/register/index.html   

I have more questions… 

Good! The goal is for the residents to have all the information at their disposal when voting approaches. Additional questions can be fielded through the Contact Us form on the District's website.