The Hill County Commissioners Court observed and recorded the resignation of the president and treasurer of Hill County Emergency Services District (ESD) 1 during a meeting held Tuesday, June 23.
Former ESD 1 President Greg Brown appeared in person to announce his resignation to the court, saying that increased public scrutiny and repeated complaints against the district had led him to step down after more than five years of service.
Brown submitted his resignation during the ESD’s June 18 meeting and read a statement explaining his decision to the court.
A retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Brown said that he moved to Hill County after his 25-year military career to continue serving the community. He served as a volunteer firefighter, fire chief and, for the past year, president of the ESD board. Brown emphasized that the position is unpaid and said that he routinely devoted 20 to 30 hours each week to district business, taking time away from his family and business.
In his statement, Brown highlighted accomplishments during his tenure, including the purchase of property and an office for the district, acquisition of a firefighter training facility, increased support for volunteer fire departments, repairs to fire apparatus, improved radio communications and expanded training and equipment for firefighters.
Brown also pointed to the district’s recent audit, noting that it received a clean opinion with no findings of fraud, misuse of funds, procurement violations or compliance issues. He said that the only finding involved the district’s reliance on its outside auditor to prepare technical financial statements because it does not employ a full-time certified public accountant.
Brown said that his resignation was prompted by what he described as the “weaponization of transparency” by a small group of individuals. While stating that he supports open government and citizens’ rights to request public records and hold officials accountable, he said that repeated complaints and records requests had become an effort to find wrongdoing rather than improve government operations.
According to Brown, complaints were submitted to multiple agencies, including the sheriff’s office, Texas Rangers, Attorney General’s Office and Texas Ethics Commission, but no findings of fraud, corruption or criminal conduct resulted.
“Complaint after complaint was filed. Investigation after investigation was requested,” he said. “After all of that, there has been no finding of fraud, corruption, theft, criminal conduct or misuse of public funds.”
He also cited extensive public information requests and repeated communications with the district’s independent auditor during the audit process as examples of what he characterized as harassment.
“One request sought virtually all communications involving expenditures, reimbursements, policies, contracts, discussions outside meetings and quorum-related communications without any meaningful time limitation,” Brown said.
“Think about that. That means searching through years of emails, text messages, records and communications involving multiple commissioners and district operations.”
He said that another example involved repeated communications directed towards the district’s independent auditor while he was actively conducting the audit.
“Questions were repeatedly posed regarding how the audit should be conducted, whether explanations given to Commissioners Court were accurate, whether documents had been provided and whether district officials were being truthful,” he said.
“The audit had not even been completed. Again, ask yourself: was the goal understanding or was the goal finding something wrong?”
Brown told commissioners that he found another communication to a firefighter even more concerning. “One public statement essentially said, ‘I will accept your apology or your resignation at any point. Please don’t make me investigate that department.’”
“Think about those words carefully,” he said. “That is not a request for transparency. That is not a request for information. That is a statement that uses the threat of investigation and records requests as leverage against people someone disagrees with.”
Brown said that the experience took a personal toll on him and his family and warned that similar treatment could discourage others from serving in volunteer leadership roles.
“I hold no hatred toward anyone involved,” Brown wrote. “I forgive them. I wish them well.”
Brown encouraged residents to attend meetings, ask questions, support their local volunteer fire departments and become involved in their communities.
His resignation came alongside that of ESD Treasurer Chad Wilson, while Commissioner Jimmy Johnson also resigned during the same ESD meeting, leaving the district with three vacancies on its five-member board.
Following Brown’s remarks, commissioners reflected on his resignation and the current political climate in Hill County, with the court expressing disappointment over the circumstances that led to his decision.
“That’s a rough one,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb. “For all of the commitment, effort and heart you put into that position, it’s a travesty for it to end up the way it is and the way it evolved. For that, I am truly sorry.”
Holcomb expressed disappointment that ESD members, their families and volunteer fire departments have had to go through the turmoil. Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Crumpton agreed, saying “They’re volunteers.”
County Judge Shane Brassell commented, “Something that weighs a lot on me is, I cannot see many of our best and brightest pre-teens, teens and future graduates even looking at public service. I don’t have any other words.”
Precinct 4 Commissioner Martin Lake said that the current climate could ultimately leave the county without a volunteer fire service, requiring taxpayers to fund a paid department. He also warned that diminished fire protection could increase homeowners insurance costs, calling the situation “a damn shame.”
The court observed and recorded the resignations and will have to find volunteers to appoint to the board before normal operations can resume.
In open forum, Daniel Wilson and Basil Zangare spoke about the ESD issue.
Wilson disputed that requests, including those that he submitted, cost the district $30,000, saying that the cost came from the workflow that the district chose by having an attorney respond. He said that he was prompted to file requests because the district held an improperly noticed meeting to call an election. He also alleged that the district’s spending policy was unlawful and said that most of his records requests are still unfulfilled. Wilson said that he would be willing to serve on the ESD board, but only for a short duration.
Zangare said that he wants the ESD and all fire departments receiving money from the district audited.
New World
Screwworm
Declaration
The court declared a local state of disaster due to the threat of New World Screwworm after hearing an update from Extension Agent Zach Davis.
Brassell said that Hill County has been closely following the situation and meeting with Extension and state emergency management representatives as the parasitic fly spreads in south Texas.
Davis said that there were 15 confirmed cases in Texas as of the meeting date, and while the reports are a good distance from Hill County, that could change quickly.
Davis encouraged livestock and pet owners to monitor their animals and report any suspected cases to the Texas Animal Health Commission. Any suspected livestock cases should be reported to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
While most counties declaring emergencies have done so because a nearby county has a case, Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Jackson said that there is no downside to declaring an emergency early, and the action could increase the county’s readiness if the screwworm does appear locally.
In the event a case is confirmed in Hill County, the disaster declaration will allow the county to get additional help from the state.
County Fire
Marshal Position
Commissioners continued discussions about establishing a county fire marshal position to increase oversight of industrial development in the county.
Brassell suggested creating the office under Development Services. The fire marshal would ensure that the companies are complying with National Fire Protection Association standards. Brassell said that he has had conversations with county leadership in Van Zandt County, which has found that many battery energy storage systems are not in compliance with standards.
“As we learn of projects, we will send them a letter telling them they need to show that they are NFPA compliant,” said Brassell. “They are supposed to be anyway, so we’re not asking them to do anything different than what’s already in the law.”
Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Jackson said that a county fire marshal could also be helpful during local fire investigations.
The court was expected to meet Tuesday morning, June 30, to set compensation and a job description for the fire marshal position so applications can be accepted.
Other Action
In other action, commissioners approved a resolution related to the county’s participation in the Texas Department of Transportation’s federal off-system bridge program. Under the program, Precinct 3 is able to complete two bridges—County Road 4281 over Coleman Creek and County Road 3102 at Cobb Creek—at a reduced cost. The program allows the county to designate its required matching grant funds towards work on another bridge.
Commissioners certified revenue of $350,000 that ESD 2 received from grant funds made available through House Bill 3000 for rural ambulance services. The funds will be used to purchase an ambulance to serve residents in the ESD 2 service area.
The court approved a contract with National Fire and Safety for monitoring of the courthouse fire suppression systems in the amount of $1,080 initially and then $480 annually.
Other routine certifications of revenue, budget amendments and personnel matters were also reviewed and approved.
The court convened in executive session to discuss the lawsuit RCM Hill has filed against Hill County, the county judge and the commissioners who voted in favor of the county’s now-rescinded data center moratorium. No action was taken when open session resumed, although the suit was later settled (see page 1).
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