(Seguin) — After weeks of reported disappointment among volunteer fire departments, the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court on Tuesday reached a consensus to provide the additional funding that the departments had requested for the upcoming fiscal year. The initial proposed budget is said to have only included 16 percent of the funds requested by the 8 various VFD’s.
The agreement to include the additional and combined total of $414,705 came after more than three hours of discussion, during which commissioners revisited the contentious budget item that had sparked backlash from both firefighters and members of the public.
The additional money, however, will not come from the county’s fund balance, as originally suggested by Commissioner Pct. 1 Jackie Ott, but instead will be reallocated from the county’s capital projects list for new construction. Commissioner Pct. 1 Drew Engelke, who shared the idea with Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher, suggested the compromise before the court.
“The building purchase of new construction is $2.5 million for potential purchase of building or buildings for county facilities operations but with that, we also have a $1 million in the budget for land purchase so technically that would still leave us with $3 million for land or building,” said Engelke.
Commissioner Pct. 3 Michael Carpenter was among those who immediately bought into Engelke’s suggestion and agreed that the modified funds in the capital projects’ list would prevent the court from dipping into its fund balance. Plus, he liked the suggestion of the county working together to ensure potential savings through things such as bulk purchases.
“So, we would not be pulling from fund balance. We would just be reallocating from within the constraints and confines of the current budget. I would be much more comfortable with that. I’m very reticent to pull money from our fund balance but with the existing budget and with the line item you mentioned, leaving the funding as it appears in the judge’s recommended budget – that half a million dollars going into a line item that is for the volunteer fire departments and this body (will) make decisions be it on a monthly basis or more often than necessary on where those dollars are going to be allocated across the entire playing field and when we have the opportunities, we see common needs –tires, hoses, other things – than we purchase those in a consolidated manner. It is not terribly elegant, but I can get on board with it,” said Carpenter.
The decision marks a sharp turn from last week, when the court’s initial budget proposal did not fully fund the VFD requests, despite already including increases in fire protection spending. That move drew public criticism, with several citizens and VFD representatives voicing frustration and concern about the future of volunteer fire service in the county.
On Tuesday, however, that tone was different. Members of most, if not all, volunteer departments filled the courtroom as commissioners pledged to work more closely with them in the coming year. The consensus not only resolved the immediate funding dispute but according to Kutscher also opened a broader conversation about the county’s long-term fire service model.
Kutscher says Guadalupe County’s explosive growth is putting new pressures on fire protection, hinting that volunteer departments alone may not be able to carry the load much longer.
“Change is hard and it’s especially hard for me because people are creatures of habit. I am that way as much as anyone else and it’s hard to get out of your comfort zone. But I think we are just going to have to be open and honest with our selves, with our departments, with our boards, with our citizens and with everything and not pit each other against one another for funding but that we are coming together to make sure that the public is the priority in keeping it safe and how do we that and some of us aren’t going to be what we were 10 years ago. Some of us aren’t going to have that title or it’s going to be a combination department or a hybrid or whatever it is so again, I know today’s discussion and the 2nd is extremely important for you all in operations and my mind is like ‘I think the court is going to come together and try to find some funding’ and I’m like, ‘what do we do three years from now, five years now’ because the decisions we make today are really going to impact that,” said Kutscher.
The compromise also included a pledge for better communication between county leaders and VFDs to ensure needs are clearly identified before next year’s budget process. Some commissioners also acknowledged that anticipated grant funding shortfalls may complicate equipment purchases next year, making long-term planning even more critical now.
Commissioners Ott and Commissioner Pct. 4 Stephen Germann, who last week opposed adopting the county’s proposed tax rate because of concerns about underfunding fire services, reiterated their strong support for first responders. Both ultimately also agreed to the reallocation plan. Ott again emphasized that public safety must remain a top priority.
“I think they need what they say they need. They’ve lined out exactly what they need and their requests and I think we need to give that to them. Now, next year, they are talking about grants which is something different and if these grants are issued that they have been waiting on – that there will need to be a match should they get those things. Now, that is a separate issue. It’s not the same as this right now. I think what we need to accomplish now is making sure that they have what they need to operate for the next year – that they aren’t facing any unnecessary liabilities as individuals or as the non-profits that they are – that the county does not incur any liability relying on fire departments that are not operating with appropriate and legal equipment,” said Ott.
Kutscher added that the county not only funds the volunteer fire departments, but also supports the Guadalupe County Rescue Service, a full-time paid program that helps cover emergency response needs between volunteer coverage.
Kutscher says the day may come for an urban fire service with full-time staff, but until then, he says everyone, even those in the community, have to continue supporting our volunteers whether it be donations or by attending their BBQ’s or other fundraisers. He says the show of support for volunteers was evident this past week and hopes residents countywide do more to support their year-round efforts.
As part of the budget process, no action on reallocating the additional funds was officially taken Tuesday – although —again— that is now the unofficial plan for the county. The official adoption of the budget which will include the new line item for the additional fire protection funds plus the adoption of the tax rate are all slated for Sept. 2.
The proposed budget can be viewed at the Guadalupe County Clerk’s Office and on the Guadalupe County website available at GuadalupeTX.gov.