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By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

Board members for Emergency Services District No. 2 traded ideas at a special meeting on Thursday about how to streamline and improve the reimbursement process for volunteer fire departments within the district.

The meeting was part of a training session on Chapter 775 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which gives provisions for the operation of an ESD. Jimmy Woodard, a representative from the governor's Office of Rural and Community Affairs, fielded questions from board members on everything from best practices for maintaining ESD records to the proper way fire departments should file for monthly reimbursements. Annie Baldwin, a volunteer clerk for Smith County ESD No. 1 for 11 years, also gave advice to the group.

ESD No. 2 has a budget of $3.97 million for fiscal year 2007-08. Board members set aside $322,271 for each of the 11 volunteer fire departments in the district, including Arp VFD, Bullard VFD, Chapel Hill VFD, Dixie VFD, Flint-Gresham VFD, Jackson Heights VFD, Noonday VFD, Red Springs VFD, Troup VFD, Whitehouse VFD and Winona VFD.

Last month, Smith County commissioners questioned the transparency and accountability of the ESD when it came to issuing reimbursements. According to the ESD, some fire departments asked to be reimbursed for food, drinks and other items bought for fundraising activities. The fundraising items weren't itemized properly, board members said, and we paid with taxpayer money provided through the ESD.

"Some of that fundraiser stuff just slipped by us," said Teresa Campbell, the board's secretary/treasurer.

"You don't want to use tax money to raise funds," added board member Alan Adams.

The board discussed clarifying the way fire departments fill out reimbursement affidavits. One possibility included extending the amount of time between when the affidavits are due and when the board meets to approve them, so members have more time to look at the itemized expenditures.

"We're not trying to restrict (the fire departments) and tell them what they can't spend the money on," Ms. Campbell said. "We're just trying to get them to document it so we, and anyone else, can tell what this is for."

The board also talked about setting a requirement that they only pay salaries for fire fighters with an intermediate training certification and above.

"We're gonna upset a lot of fire chiefs," Adams said.

He said most firefighters within the district are trained to the beginner level, which involves 70 hours of coursework. He said only firefighters who've completed intermediate level training are qualified to fight fires within buildings. This provides a liability to fire departments, and perhaps the ESD, if firefighters are hurt and didn't have the proper training to begin with, he said.

Adams said training can be expensive for the fire departments, and the board considered offering reimbursements for training courses.

The board discussed several other items, including building a county-wide training facility for the fire departments at some point in the future. The board didn't take action on any items discussed during the training session. "Our main goal is to lower the ISO rating so we can lower homeowners insurance," he said. "Then we can look at other things." The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21 at the Smith County 9-1-1 Communications District building, 11325 Spur 248.