TYLER (KYTX) - Emergency Service District #2 Board President Mitch Henderson is stepping down and the district is about to have a new way of selecting who sits on the board. CBS 19's Amanda Roberson was at Smith County Commissioners Court when the decision was made.
By law commissioners court appoints who will serve on the ESD board which oversees rural fire departments and disperses funding. Now they're relying on another group of people in the community to help decide who will serve, but not everyone thinks the process will work.
After being appointed by commissioners court seven months ago, ESD #2 Board President Mitch Henderson is stepping down.
"They have appointed some 20 people in 4 years, which probably speaks to their record that they're dismal failure at appointing people because they don't prepare the people for what they're stepping in to," Henderson said.
Henderson was working more than 30 hours a week for the ESD, unpaid, like the other four members on the board.
Tuesday, Smith County Commissioners Court decided board members will now be appointed based on input from a new committee.
"It is consisting of our chief deputy, we have a representative from the fireman's association, we have a representative from our 911 district," explained Commissioner JoAnn Hampton.
Hampton said those people, along with mayors from the six cities ESD #2 serves, and someone from the Smith County Fire Marshals office will accept applications and make recommendations for board members. "We want to make sure that the people that are really involved in the day to day operations pick someone they can actually work with and will have the best interest of their citizens at heart."
But Henderson said this process is new to the current ESD board. "This is how we found out, through the news media, this was happening. They rejected times when we've tried to recommend someone to be on the board. We certainly know people who could understand what they're getting in to before they get in to it."
But with the new committee, Smith County Commissioner's Court isn't worried.
"When you get representatives that really know each other and they can really sit down and have good strong discussions and they know what's best for the community, then those are the kind of people we want to use for Smith County," Hampton explained.
Five people sit on the ESD #2 board. Mitch Henderson's seat as president is the only one that needs to be filled. Henderson will continue to serve as president until his replacement is found.
Commissioners are now going to their precincts and telling mayors and people involved about the group and giving them a chance to join the appointment process. ESD #2 is made up of Arp, Bullard, Chapel Hill, Noonday, Troup and Winona volunteer fire departments.
