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Emergency Service District proposition to appear on May 10 ballot
Rusty Quattlebaum, assistant chief at Brownsboro VFD, said an ESD for Brownsboro would provide the volunteer fire department, which currently receives no funding from the City of Brownsboro, with tax money to finance the purchase of new equipment. "No one likes to hear the word `taxes'," Quattlebaum said, "but a lot of people don't realize how under funded our volunteer fire department is. Quattlebaum said this year the fire department received $10,000, with $9,000 of this money coming from the community and $1,000 denoting a stipend for gas costs for the fire trucks. The problem here is the gas costs for the trucks amount to close to $6,000, with insurance for the whole operation accounting for most of the $10,000 to begin with. "This will increase our operating budget significantly, and will help us provide better service," Quattlebaum also said. Robert Chambers, fire chief at BVFD, said the ESD is very needed for the department. "It's probably one of the only ways we'll survive," Chambers said. "The price of everything is going up and people can't give what they used to because of the economy." The area covered by the ESD will have a northern border along the Henderson and Van Zandt county lines, an eastern border at CR 3406 which follows the property lines through the county and the FM 314 and 317 intersection, a southern border defined by the Poyner and Brownsboro Independent School District separation line and a western border that stretches along property lines close to FM 1803. This is the area to be affected by the ESD. The price of the ESD to the citizens of the district has not been determined. If passed, a board of five from the district will oversee the ESD and will decide on the price. A rate of 10 cents per $100 has been recommended, meaning a ho- meowner with property worth a total of $100,000 would be charged $100 a year. This cost, Quattlebaum said, could be offset by the decrease in insurance rates awarded by having a home closer to a fire department with increased funding. "Homeowner's insurance will be influenced by us having certain types of equipment, a more highly trained staff and by owning property within about five miles of a fire station," Quattlebaum said. One of the things BVFD plans on doing with the possible ESD money is the purchase of a new fire engine to replace one of the older models. The purchase will be done if a new fire engine is not feasible with a possible upcoming federal grant, or if the grant does not come. This act alone would slightly decrease the cost of insurance rates in the district. Other items in the "phase one" plan to be completed within around five years of the ESD's approval are the hiring of part-time fire department staff, the construction of a substation and the ability to send everyone who wants to receive professional firefighting training to take the course. A new fire station will also be in the works should the measure pass, Quattlebaum said. All these things would lower the cost of insurance for those affected. "Several examples show ESDs as a net gain for homeowners," Quattlebaum noted. The real reason for the ESD, Quattlebaum said, is the increased quality of the service the department could provide. Currently its allotment of donations and generosity is barely enough to keep the fire station standing. An increased budget could go a long way in providing Brownsboro with superior fire safety and firefighter coverage. Chambers said the first change to hit BVFD provided the ESD is approved would be the drawing of an official budget. "It'll be the first time we draw a real budget instead of going month to month on donations, " Chambers said. Quattlebaum said the changes will not be immediate, and the insurance costs will not decrease overnight. "It could take three to five years before you start seeing some real, big changes," Quattlebaum said. "But these are long term changes to benefit the community, changes that will continue and outlive the current fire personnel." The assistant chief also noted the increased training budget would mean there would be volunteers at the Brownsboro station with the same certification as paid firefighters in Dallas or Houston. "Two years ago we had eight people wanting to go to A&M for training, but we could only afford three. This will be a thing of the past," Quattlebaum said. Another thing of the past will be the fire department's fundraisers, which Quattlebaum said would no longer be necessary if the ESD is passed. However, it is not a done deal by any means. As Quattlebaum said, no one likes to hear about a tax increase. "If people have questions about the ESD they can go to the public hearing April 1," Quattlebaum said. The hearing will be located at the county courtroom in Athens at 9:30 am. The ESD proposition will appear on the May 10 Uniform Elections ballot in the area covered by the district. The assistant chief also said anyone with questions can call the fire department building at 903-852-5001 and leave a message. "We're extremely appreciative to our community for the support," Quattlebaum said. "Unfortunately, we're operating under the 80-20 rule, where 20 percent of the people share the load for everybody. " It is important to get the ESD up as soon as possible, Quattlebaum said, as the whole of Henderson County may approve a countywide ESD. A Brownsboro ESD put in place before the Henderson County ESD would erect a wall where Brownsboro district citizens only pay into their own ESD, and not the county ESD tax pool. Benita Carver, retired school teacher from the Tyler public school system, has lived all her life as an East Texan. She was born in the Chandler and Lake Palestine area and, with the exception of five years spent in Tyler, stayed close for her entire life. "I went to Henderson County Junior College, now Trinity Valley Junior College, " Carver said. "I got my degree at East Texas State Teacher's College, now A&M." Even though Benita retired in '94, she continues to teach in a couple of ways. "I now attend Faith Baptist Church in Chandler, and I teach Sunday School for senior ladies there," Carver said. "It's a small, close class." The teaching doesn't stop there. Carver, a fan of music, piano in particular, teaches a couple of students how to play, though she said not many folk want to learn the piano these days. Benita married Hugh Carver, her childhood friend, in 1964. They both attended Brownsboro High School. Now they live close to Chandler on a mule and cow ranchin progress. Though they are closer to Chandler than Brownsboro, the Carvers have a Brownsboro telephone number. While Benita and Hugh never had children, Benita does have a few hobbies in addition to music and teaching. Near the Carver house is a garden with onions, squash and lettuce already planted, though the whole area is still a work in progress. She also enjoys playing 84 dominoes, a domino game for six players, with a group, as well as visiting the Chandler Nursing Home with people from area churches. This group has 10 people in it and started out as being a group of people from just one church. While she doesn't normally cook for large groups, Benita occasionally joins with her lady friends and they all chip in a dish for a larger crowd. Carver provided a couple of her crowd pleasers, including dinner and a dessert. Squash Casserole Five large yellow squash ¾ cup half and half milk 2 tbsp sugar3 eggs, beaten 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated 1 small onion, chopped ¾ stick butter Salt and pepper to taste Cook the squash, drain and mash it. SautØ the onions in butter. In a separate bowl mix the milk, eggs, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix it all together and place in the casserole. Add cheese and bake at 350 Degrees until brown and bubbly, takes about 45 minutes. Cake in a Pan 1 … cup sugar ‰ cup shortening or margarine 1/8 tsp salt 1 egg ‰ tsp vanilla 1 … cup flour … cup cocoa powder ‰ cup buttermilk 1 tsp soda ‰ cup boiling water Mix sugar and shortening, then add the egg and mix. Put soda in buttermilk and stir in the mixture. Add flour and cocoa. Mix thoroughly and add vanilla. After all ingredients are mixed, add the boiling water. This mixture will be thin. Pour into a greased 13x9" pan and bake at 350 Degrees until done. Takes about 30-35 minutes. Cake Icing 2 ounces cocoa or … cup cocoa powder 2 cups sugar 2/3 cup evaporated milk ‰ cup shortening … tsp salt Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for about five minutes or until soft. A ball forms when a few drops of mixture is dropped into cold water. |
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