ODESSA, Texas — The City of Odessa put people first Friday at the very first town hall meeting of 2024, as local leaders talked about emergency service districts and how they can make their way to West Odessa.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, Precinct One Commissioner Mike Gardner and Safe-D Executive Director Cliff Avery hosted Friday's town hall.
West Odessa relies on their volunteer fire department and is limited in emergency services, so one solution would be to create an emergency service district. This solution can be executed through a vote.
"If ESD is created by the voters, then the county commissioners court selects the board of commissioners for the ESD," Avery said. "Those are residents of the area. They are property tax owners of the area. They determine the best way to deliver those services that the voters intended to create when they pass the election."
With an emergency service district comes concern over taxes, but it really comes down to voter approval.
"They don't want to create an ESD, they don't have to vote for it," Avery said. "That's fine. There are always concerns about that the tax in Texas is a four letter word. A lot of folks resist that. However, as the judge pointed out, the using that tax to provide reliable emergency services can actually reduce homeowner insurance so that tax is offset by lower premiums."
Some factors that go into putting an ESD on the ballot include up to a majority of landowners in West Odessa signing a petition.
The City of Odessa plans on holding more town halls in the future.