Local leaders come together to provide fire, EMS services to Ector Co residents

ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A proposition on the Ector County ballot this November could help expand first responder presence across the County.

City, County, and medical leaders held a news conference Wednesday to talk about the dire need for a first responder presence, such as firefighters and emergency medical services, in rural parts of Odessa. The new proposition would do just that, all tax money to go toward new fire stations, and help County residents receive help more quickly in an emergency.

"We had a couple of conversations with the fire department which runs the EMS service, the ambulance service, and everybody knows there's an issue with reaching the farthest parts of the county. The fastest is 30 to 45 minutes sometimes...every minute counts when it's your life on the line. So, we talked, and we've come up with this way. It's a better way to provide better service. That's really what it is," said Wallace Dunn, Ector County Hospital Board President.

The expansion won't come without a change to what residents are paying, however. The plan details that City taxes would decrease by 14 cents per $100 valuation while taxes paid to the Ector County Hospital District would increase by eight cents per $100 valuation. So, City residents would see a lower tax rate and County residents would gain improved fire and EMS services. The hospital district would be the branch handling the funds for these expansions and will pay to employ the fi...