City, ESD offer views on benefits of each
Editor’s note: The debate in Hutto over establishing a cityowned Fire Department near the Hutto Megasite, spurred in part by area growth including new neighborhoods, is picking up speed. City leaders argue that taxes supporting the county-based Emergency Services District 3 should be flowing into city coffers instead. Proponents of the ESD, however, note the agency has provided reliable service to the area for a quarter of a century and question why the city should spend money, time and resources on a Fire Department when one already exists.
HUTTO — A plan by city leaders to phase out reliance on Williamson County Emergency Services District 3 and transition to a city-owned Fire Department is sparking plenty of debate on both sides of the issue.
ESD 3, one of 12 in Williamson County, has operated in the city for more than 25 years.
It’s also known as Hutto Fire Rescue.
Meanwhile, the public first heard of the city initiative in May, and the City Council has already approved a land purchase, engineering, survey and design contract for what is being called Hutto Fire Station 1.
Mayor Mike Snyder has said he hopes construction can begin this fall.
The proposed site is near the Hutto Megasite south of U.S. 79 and CR 132 and would ideally serve the area around Cottonwood Properties.
The Taylor Press asked Snyder, ESD Fire Chief Scott Kerwood and community activist Daniel Arenas to address some pressing questions being discussed on social media about the project.
Taylor Press: What would be the financial realities of Hutto transitioning from ESD 3 to a city-run fire department?
Snyder: The financial realities are that the city of Hutto will be able to grow as a city in a manner that allows property taxes to continue to decrease while we earn more sales taxes. The city of Hutto invests tens of millions in infrastructure and the return on those investments in a diversified tax stream by adding sales taxes.
As areas transition from ESD to Hutto, the property tax rate drops by (10 cents). The city will start earning 100% of the sales taxes in areas that are run by the city.
Kerwood: To date, WCESD #3 has not received a formal proposal from the city of Hutto detailing how a city-operated fire department would be staffed, funded, implemented or integrated with current ESD operations. For that reason, it would not be responsible for the district to speculate on hypothetical service models, financial impacts, tax authority, staffing changes or potential outcomes of a plan that has not been formally presented to us. Every tax dollar allocated to WCESD #3 supports public safety, including staffing, training, equipment, facilities, prevention, planning and emergency-response capabilities that protect lives and property. As Hutto grows, our responsibility is to plan for that growth while maintaining service continuity and using taxpayer resources responsibly.
Taylor Press: Several scenarios have been mentioned regarding how the city and ESD can work together to ensure the residents of Hutto remain safe. How do you see it working to guarantee a continuity of safety for residents?
Snyder: In each scenario, the public will never receive less than they do now in terms of fire coverage. An analysis will be done when Station 1 opens up, and that data will show the coverage area of Station 1 as 'the same or better' in terms of service.
What we hope for the taxpayers of Hutto is a strong relationship with ESD 3 where we all work together to ensure our taxpayers are covered in a responsible manner.
Kerwood: What we can say with certainty is that Hutto Fire Rescue continues operating as normal. Our firefighters and staff remain focused on providing excellent emergency services to the Hutto community every day. WCESD #3 has a long history of working with local governmental and public safety partners, and that commitment has not changed. If the city provides a formal proposal, the district will review it carefully and in good faith through the appropriate public process.
Until then, our priority remains exactly where it belongs: Serving the community and ensuring residents continue receiving the high level of emergency service they expect.
Taylor Press: What do you see as the biggest risks or benefits of this plan?
Snyder: I don't see risks as the city of Hutto will only be able to provide coverage that 'meets or exceeds' what is currently being provided. The biggest benefit is that Hutto will no longer have the continual fight with the board of the ESD regarding sharing sales taxes.
The city is unable to plan for the future when a sales-tax sharing agreement can be rescinded.
This already occurred in 2023. That was a wake-up call. We knew then that we cannot hire additional staff, borrow money or make other long-term commitments with regards to future sales-tax money that we may receive. When the fire chief sent us the letter rescinding our sales-tax agreements, we started having conversations then on how to make the future of Hutto be more stable and reliable.
Taylor Press: Since ESD 3 has not received a formal plan and Kerwood could not comment on the previous question, community activist Daniel Arenas was asked for his views on potential risks and benefits.
Arenas is the creator of HuttoTransparency. org and has been a gobetween working to get answers from the city for questions brought up by other residents and community leaders.
Arenas: The risk a city-owned fire department represents to Hutto taxpayers cannot be evaluated on opinions and good intentions. It must be evaluated on verified data. If this will save citizens money, the biggest risk to Hutto residents is moving forward without proving the math. Before anyone can support this, there are basic questions that remain unanswered: 1) Is there an independent feasibility study? 2) Is there a financial impact study showing that benefit?
One point all parties agree on is that ESD 3 provides an “excellent level of service,” as evidenced by attaining the highest rating available from the Insurance Services Office.
Critics of the city's fire station say it will be a hard bar for the city's proposed fire department to beat, and the ESD must agree the city can provide equal or better services before ceding its responsibilities to Hutto.
Officials said if Hutto and the ESD cannot come to terms, arbitration is a possibility.
