CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Falfurrias Volunteer Fire Department is going to start limiting it's services as the City hasn't paid any money to the department for four months.
Also, voluntary donations residents can make each month have been cut in half as the department says people are confused on how to donate after the city stopped taking cash payments.
Residents that spoke with 3NEWS said they are prepared to be taxed to help the fire department.
”Yes I would definitely if something came up and we had to pay some extra money I definitely would do that, yes I would,” resident Nikolo Guerra said.
”I myself would do anything to make it survive, healthy and as professional as they have been doing,” San Juanita Olivarez said.
The department receives funding from a number of sources and one of those is the City of Falfurrias. The city hasn’t sent the department any subsidy money for the past four months.
The three dollar donation to the fire department that residents can give on their utility bill have also dropped after confusion over the new city pay system that was recently implemented.
”We’re on track to be missing out on about $53,000 of our annual budget this year to the fire department so that’s going to be a major hit on us right," Falfurrias Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ruben Ramirez said.
Statistics provided to 3NEWS by Chief Ramirez show that calls for service continued to climb over the past three years. In 2021, there were 252 calls for service and last year it was 379.
The idea now being looked at is setting up an emergency services district. Residents would get to vote on whether they want to tax themselves to support the fire department.
City Administrator Martin Saenz supports the idea.
"We are definitely onboard with the ESD service district it’s a way that we can get more revenues for the fire department,” Saenz said.
In the meantime, the city administrator says it’s trying to work on paying the volunteers for the past four months.
However, until this happens Ramirez said the volunteer fire department may have to limit some of its services for the city.
Right now there is an effort to put the ESD idea before voters as early as November.