Election for ESD 14 Proposition 1 May 7

SOUTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - Early voting for special elections in Montgomery County starts Monday, April 25, and runs through Saturday, April 30, and also Monday and Tuesday, May 2 & 3. The official joint election day is Saturday, May 7.

For those voting on the Emergency Services District 14 Proposition 1, Early Voting will NOT be at the South Montgomery County Community Center as originally planned, due to the need to set up a shelter at this location for those who were flooded earlier in the week. The Red Cross will be at the Community Center as long as the need requires it.

Those voting in the ESD 14 election are the residents who are provided fire and medical assistance by the Timber Lakes Volunteer Fire Department. The residents who wish to vote early will vote at the Shenandoah Municipal Complex located west of I-45N, and north of Research Forest Drive. ESD 14 is primarily the Timber Lakes subdivision, also Timber Ridge, and includes Sawdust Road from Glenlock to Sawmill Road.

Many of the residents eligible to vote in the ESD 14 election have been impacted by the flood, and may not have transportation in running condition. It may be easier to wait and vote on Election Day, May 7, at the TLVFD fire station, which is conveniently located almost in the center of ESD 14.

Proposition 1 on the ballot is a 1% Sales and Use Tax added to the state-wide 6.25 percent tax. ESD 14 residents already pay this additional tax everywhere else in the county. It’s not a request for the sales tax to exceed anything that the rest of the county is charging. In fact, many residents may never pay the tax, if they don’t shop at the few retail and commercial businesses located in the ESD 14 service area.

Due to the small amount of businesses that operate in the ESD 14 area, the amount won’t be a windfall, but according to the Timber Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, every little bit helps.

“When you have a disaster like we had this past Monday, you need to be able to respond quickly, and have sufficient equipment,” said Assistant Fire Chief James Croft.

This was reiterated by ESD 14 Board Member, Steve Cox, at a public forum hosted at the TLVFD fire station last night.

“The ESD 14 has prioritized how the funds will be appropriated if Proposition 1 is passed. From a public safety standpoint, manpower is our first priority to cut response time,” said Cox.

The average response time for a volunteer fire department to respond from home is 9:08 minutes. To respond from the station, the response time is drastically reduced to 3:37; a 61 percent improvement. As of October 2015, the TLVFD implemented a program of required volunteer time at the station for readiness. A minimum 3-man crew ,one of which will be a qualified driver of emergency vehicles, will be at the station, but there are costs associated with it, as with keeping equipment updated and serviced for 24/7 protection.

Timber Lakes Volunteer Fire Department takes pride in being the only ALL volunteer fire department in Montgomery County, and wants to retain that status.

“The Timber Lakes firefighters feel volunteerism in the community is a part of the American culture and we want to maintain that, but we need help in providing the community with medical and fire assistance, which is our purpose for being here,” said Cox.

The community can show their support by voting for Proposition 1 during the early voting period, or on Election Day, and by attending the TLVFD’s annual spaghetti dinner April 30. The spaghetti dinner will be by donation, and will feature a silent auction fundraiser in addition to the hot meal. Literature will be on hand about Proposition 1, for those who need additional information or who were unable to attend the public forum.

Also visit the Timber Lakes Volunteer Fire Department’s website, and if you liked their valiant flood rescuing efforts, why not “Like” their Facebook page?

For those who won’t be able to attend the spaghetti dinner but wish to donate to the TLVFD, click on the DONATE button link.

To donate items to their silent auction, contact TLVFD via their Facebook page.

Also see related link with video of flooding in Timber Lakes/Timber Ridge subdivision, courtesy of RC Zarzoza.