Bill would raise emergency service district board approval threshold from $2,000 to up to $50,000

Senator Adam Hinojosa introduced Senate Bill 2778 to raise the expenditure threshold at which an emergency services district (ESD) board must approve purchases. Current law fixes that threshold at $2,000 (statutory language in chapter 775 of the Texas Health and Safety Code dates from 1989); SB 2778 would allow boards to set a local policy up to a permissive cap of $50,000.

Sponsor testimony said the $2,000 threshold is outdated and creates delays when ESDs must make time-sensitive purchases such as apparatus repairs, parts, equipment, and utilities. The bill does not mandate a single new cap; rather, it allows each ESD board to choose a threshold (for example $10,000 or $25,000) up to $50,000 and to revise that policy at a public meeting.

Ralph Rodriguez, fire chief for Bexar County ESD No. 2, testified in strong support, saying the change ‘‘improves operational efficiency’’ and cited examples of apparatus repairs and electronic-component repairs that frequently exceed the $2,000 threshold. Committee discussion noted that inflation-adjusted values mean $2,000 in 1989 is substantially lower in today’s dollars and would equate to a much higher nominal amount; no amendment setting a single uniform threshold was adopted. The committee left SB 2778 pending subject to call of the chair.