Hutto City Council is moving forward with efforts to create a city-owned fire department.
More details
In a joint meeting between City Council and the Hutto Economic Development Corporation on May 26, council approved a land purchase, engineering and land survey contract, and design contract for Hutto Fire Station Number 1.
“We’re not trying to jump into something willy-nilly,” Mayor Mike Synder said in regard to a contract with PBK for the design of the station. “We’re trying to make sure we do proper due diligence and part of that means spending some due diligence money.”
The station will be located near the Hutto Megasite, which is south of Hwy. 79 and at CR 132. Under the approved plan, the HEDC will help fund the project, Snyder said.
The background
Williamson County Emergency Services District No. 3 currently provides fire protection in the community. Leaders with the emergency services district expressed some concerns over the decision, stating in a press release that “the district does not understand the decision to create a duplicate fire protection system alongside” its existing service.
Snyder said the city’s rapid growth prompted the move to create its own fire department, noting that cities often assume fire services from ESDs as they expand beyond the rural areas those districts were designed to serve.
