Commissioners did not feel ready for the election
RANDALL COUNTY -- Before a full courtroom of interested people on Tuesday Randall County Commissioners decided to postpone putting an election on the May ballot allowing three villages to vote to establish an emergency services district.
The district would use taxpayer money to fund paid emergency staff for the areas of Tanglewood, Timbercreek Canyon and Palisades.
Commissioners say they decided to delay the election because of legal advice telling them that right now the election area is just too complicated to push a vote.
They understand interest in this issue is high.
"I'm even getting calls from people outside that I would call in the rural area wondering if they can't join the district so there's a lot... I think there's a lot of positive comments," said Robert Karrh, Randall County Commissioner.
Village leaders are disappointed with the delay but say this now gives them a chance really educate voters.
"Our village wants to be more proactive and I'm sure all the other three villages want to do that too. More proactive rather than reactive. If we end up having a devastating fire and we didn't even attempt to do something like this... then we tried to do it... that's not the way to be," said Terri Welch, Mayor of Timbercreek Canyon.
For now, the villages will continue to rely on the emergency services of Canyon, Amarillo and volunteers.
Karrh also lives in what would be the new district. He says he feels it is unfair that volunteers are expected to do so much.
I think that I as a citizen living in one of those areas should contribute to their budget every year because right now when they run out of money at the end of the year they have boot drives, they have fish frys," said Karrh.
If passed, establishing an emergency services district will allow a board to tax property owners up to ten cents per one thousand dollars in property value.
Now that commissioners have decided to delay a vote until at least November, the new emergency district will not begin until at least 2011 instead of 2010 like village leaders were hoping.
