GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas – Lake Dunlap and New Berlin volunteer fire departments said they will have to shut down within a year or so due to low funding following Guadalupe County’s recent proposed budget.
J Harmon, a Lake Dunlap resident who survived a stroke last year thanks to quick treatment from the Lake Dunlap Volunteer Fire Department, said Guadalupe County must continue to fund the departments.
“You never know if it’s gonna be you until the day you have to pick up the phone and dial 911 and ask for their help,” Harmon said. “That’s what they’re there for.”
Tyler Townsend, Lake Dunlap fire chief, said the department’s current budget is $60,000. They requested $213,000 but were only allocated $84,000 in the proposed budget.
“With the rising costs and mechanical issues, the equipment that we need for our firefighters, it’s just, it’s not enough,” Townsend said.
He said the department needs new tires, brakes and repairs to their trucks. Their air packs, which are needed for responding to structure fires inside buildings, will not comply next year. That means the department will be prevented from entering burning structures.
Townsend also noted a sharp increase in calls, from about 100 a year to roughly 500, all while working with equipment that is breaking down.
“Our call volume has doubled over the past couple of years, where our budget has not,” Townsend said.
The New Berlin Volunteer Fire Department also said it needs equipment upgrades. Otherwise, it can only operate for a couple more years.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Jacqueline Ott said she voted against the proposed tax increase and budget because it didn’t provide the volunteer fire departments with what they need.
Ott said she hopes that changes can be made by 10 a.m. on Sept. 2, when the other commissioners and the county judge vote to approve the line budget.
“Currently, there are $45.6 million in that unassigned general fund,” Ott said. “And I believe that it would be appropriate for us to take the money that we need to make these fire departments operational and safe and use that money on that.”
Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher said he cannot support moving that money from the unassigned general fund. He called it “irresponsible” to fund recurring expenses from savings.
“On the very basic level in our own households, you don’t pay for your recurring bills out of your savings account. It’s a bad way to budget,” Kutscher said. “It’s not very safe, and it’s not long-term sustainable. If we plan on doing that, I think it’s a slippery slope. I think we need to look at either reducing expenses other places in the operational budget of the county to reallocate funding to the volunteer fire departments, or the only other way to do it, which the commissioner already voted against, was to increase taxes.”
Kutscher said he appreciates the time and work volunteer fire departments have given. However, he said he feels the county is paying three times for the same service: to volunteer fire departments, to contract with city fire departments and to expand the Guadalupe County Fire Department.
“We’ve been really consistent in our approach, trying to support volunteer fire departments. We have eight of them in Guadalupe County,” Kutscher said. ”But we also have three municipal fire contracts with the city of Seguin, Cibolo, and Schertz. And this would be the first year that volunteer fire department cumulative funding would be higher than the municipal professional fire department contracts.”
Charles Mills, New Berlin Assistant volunteer fire chief, said it’s never been about getting paid, but always about saving lives.
“Two or three years ago, we had a lady drive off into Cibolo Creek, and I was the one that went into the water to get her out of the car,” Mills said. “Our motto is neighbors helping neighbors, that’s what we do.”