Photo by Shawn ArrajjEight of the 11 candidates running for the three open seats on the Harris County Emergency Services District 9 board gathered May 1 for a forum with residents.
Candidates in attendance at the event included incumbents Kevin Kyle and Mike Larrivee as well as Jeremy Martinson, Betty Boren Avery, David Langenberg, Tom Bazan, Scott DeBoer and Robert Lozano. Three candidates—Willa Mathews, Patrick J. A. Kiley and James Blackledge—were unable to attend.
Each candidate got a chance to provide opening statements on why they chose to run and what issues they thought were important before answering a series of questions, including many submitted by audience members.
When asked what the top challenges are for the ESD board moving forward, candidates discussed the need to plan for the growth projected for the Cy-Fair area and the need to mend the relationship between CFVFD and the ESD. The ESD is responsible for collecting taxes so the district can fund the delivery of services for the fire department. Board members are also responsible for managing the department's annual budget.
Talks between the ESD and fire department in the past have been tense, with the ESD at one point considering to defund the department. Langenberg, who has served as a volunteer with CFVFD, identified fixing that relationship as the No. 1 priority. He suggested that it could not happen if incumbents were re-elected.
"Those entities have to work together, but there has to be a clear line in the sand," he said. "[The ESD] is in charge of strategic vision and oversight; they are not management."
Martinson, who has served with the Houston Fire Department, agreed.
"We need to maintain strict governing guidelines between the ESD and the fire department and respect the boundaries between the two," he said. "There needs to be a complete separation."
Kyle agreed that boundaries needed to be established, but disagreed that the entities should be completely separate, saying a deeper partnership needs to be fostered.
"We've had a fundamental breakdown of communication and we need to figure out how to fix that," he said. "The only way to do that is come together, come up with some boundaries, but be partners and not competitors."
As an incumbent, Larrivee acknowledged that the ESD board had overstepped its bounds and said the board is polarized when it comes to its responsibilities.
"Our biggest challenge is to make sure the ESD board is all on the same page," he said. "We are dysfunctional because we have a separate idea on how the ESD should be run. I think the ESD needs to focus on the ESD."
Most candidates agreed that long-range planning was an important part of the ESD's responsibilities, given the projected growth for the Cy-Fair area.
"The biggest challenge will be keeping up with the rapid growth in this district," Martinson said. "The best way we can do that is plan. We need to be proactive and not reactive."
Kyle said the board has unsuccessfully tried to come up with a comprehensive plan, and that still needs to be addressed. Bazan warned that planning too far in the future could lead to overzealous building and waste.
"We need to realize what the needs are and accommodate them the best we can," he said. "We can't be building it and hoping they will come. We have to make sure we put it where there's growth. You can't do that 15–20 years ahead of time."
Candidates also discussed the recent one-cent sales tax increase and the decision to remove an exemption for telecommunications services.
Avery, Lozano and Bazan were among the candidates demanding more transparency and accountability in how money is spent. Bazan promised to fight for lower taxes, and Avery said the telecommunications exemption should be reinstated, given the excess money the district is bringing in. Four months after adopting its budget, the district is poised to bring in around $32–$34 million in revenues, which is $6–$8 million more than projected and far above the $24 million in expenses.
"I do not believe in raising taxes and think we need to reduce taxes," Avery said. "If we have excess revenue, why did we need to remove this exemption? I believe that would be one way of returning that money to our taxpayers."
DeBoer, who also served with the CFVFD, said he would like to see more money used to support volunteers.
"I would like to see the volunteers receive better incentives," he said. "I'd like to see everyone getting more support."
Kyle, who originally pushed to remove the exemption as a board member, said he is now interested in reinstating it as well.
"I wasn't as well informed as I should have been and I would immediately roll that back," he said.
Voters have the chance to elect three candidates to the board, which is made up of five commissioners who serve four-year terms. Early voting is underway at the ESD Administrative Building—9630 Telge Road—and will last through May 6. Election Day is May 10.
