What we reported

Sunset Valley and the Austin Fire Department have had a service contract in place since 1998 that is up for renewal in 2019.

Sunset Valley is one of many areas in the South Austin region that has historically suffered from poor response times. AFD is preparing to build a new fire station at an undisclosed location near the city that is expected to improve response times in Sunset Valley, as well as South Austin’s Travis Country neighborhood.

The latest

In 2018, Sunset Valley paid $500,000 as its annual fee for fire service. The cost for fire service is expected to increase by 3 to 5 percent each year as appraised values in the city increase, AFD Assistant Director Ronnelle Paulsen said.

Sunset Valley City Administrator Clay Collins said in January that negotiations are ongoing.