I write this as an ESD taxpayer. I was surprised with Dirt’s (Wayne Dworaczyk) announcement that the ESD was going to move the fire department and EMS out of the city. That threat, apparently to punish the city for not giving the ESD land, must be reconsidered. Probably more than half of the taxpayers in the ESD are city residents and would be opposed to such a move; ESD directors should consider their fiduciary obligations….a move from the city might well increase residents’ insurance rates.
The truth is that the ESD is struggling to live within their expanded revenues even though there are significant personnel and equipment needs at both the EMS and BVFD. Why does it make sense to create additional financial burdens like a new building and moving costs? Why is the ESD talking about building a new facility when the ESD is withholding funds from the BVFD?
Mike West has resigned as executive director of the EMS. I am sure he was overworked and fatigued by all the controversy. So now the EMS does not have an executive director and we are on our third fire chief in less than a year. As I said at the council meeting, the turmoil and conflict does not, in my opinion, make the ESD a good candidate for getting free land from the city.
Frankly, I think that Ann Hall and Dirt (Wayne Dworaczyk) should be asked to resign. They are the source of the divisiveness, Ann in her micro-managing of the BVFD and EMS and Dirt (Wayne Dworaczyk) in his insistence on a new building and potential move. Sure, some improvements needed to be made at BVFD, but Chief Sallman is doing a good job making progress there. We should also see whether Mike West would come back if we fixed what triggered his resignation.
Eddy Rogers
Blanco County
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