The Hill County Emergency Services District (ESD) 1 meeting ended abruptly Thursday, June 18, after the resignation of three board members.
ESD 1 President Greg Brown and Treasurer Chad Wilson announced their resignation prior to the meeting and were not in attendance. Shortly after the meeting began, commissioner Jimmy Johnson spoke in open forum and also announced his resignation.
The ESD resignations come as governmental bodies throughout the county are facing increased scrutiny from citizens and activists who are filing a large number of open records requests.
ESD officials said that dealing with requests has been costly and time consuming, and the board has also had to respond to complaints filed with the Texas Rangers, Texas Ethics Commission and Texas Office of the Attorney General, which board members described as unsubstantiated.
“This board has spent over $30,000 in attorney fees answering these requests,” Johnson said. “This money could have been used more beneficially by purchasing equipment or things you guys (fire departments) needed for your departments.”
Johnson said that the ESD board has asked for assistance from county officials in dealing with the onslaught of requests, but he said that the district has not received support. “We were told to just figure it out yourself,” he said.
After Johnson’s resignation, there was no quorum and the meeting was adjourned. It will be up to the Hill County Commissioners Court to make board appointments so the board can resume its operations.
Prior to Johnson’s resignation, the board did have a chance to hear a report from auditor William Sanders on the district’s audit for the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2025.
The district received an unmodified, or “clean,” audit opinion for its 2025 financial statements. The auditor reported one material weakness in internal controls, noting that the district lacks staff with the expertise to prepare its annual financial statements and relies on the outside auditor to prepare them.
Sanders said that the district had a surplus of $140,000 last year, and most expenses were in line with the expected budget. The exception was the capital purchases line due to the ESD 1 building purchase last year.
The district had an ending fund balance of $2,136,402 for the year, which Sanders said compares favorably to the prior year.
Sanders said that 100 percent of the district’s bank accounts are protected through a combination of FDIC insurance and pledged collateral. The auditor explained that up to $500,000 of an account balance can be covered by FDIC insurance. ESD 1 has approximately $1.566 million in an account, with the remaining balance secured by a bond pledged by the bank.
The board voted to accept the audit and submit it to the commissioners court.
The Lakelander 