About

About the District

Bastrop County ESD No. 1 was created in 2003 to provide improved fire, rescue, and assistance to other public safety agencies in Southwestern Bastrop County.  Since the creation, Bastrop County ESD No. 1 has been a leader in emergency services provision and has accomplished several "firsts" for Bastrop County, including the first paid, state commissioned fire fighters, the first paid, state commissioned fire chief, the first ISO rating of a 3, and the first full-time, 24 x 7 x 365 fire station staffing.

Without the support of the community and the tireless efforts of our board of emergency services commissioners, our staff, and our firefighters we could not have reached these goals.  All of these supporters have volunteered to spend hundreds of hours away from their families training, teaching, learning, and managing the efforts for nothing but the knowledge that what they are doing is helping their community, their fellow citizens and their local businesses. 

So, if you see a firefighter take a minute to thank them for their commitment and dedication to keeping our community safe, because we can all find comfort in knowing that in our worst hour, these dedicated firefighters will be there willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our community.

What is an Emergency Services District (ESD)?

An ESD is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, authorized by law to levy a tax for the purpose of providing emergency services, a taxing district responsible for providing emergency services to a specific area, "the District".

How does an ESD work?

An ESD can levy a tax of up to $0.10 per $100 dollars of property value. The ESD (governed by five member Board of Emergency Services Commissioners) is responsible for managing the tax money collected and managing the development of emergency services in the district.

What does this mean for Southwestern Bastrop County?

Contracting fire departments have joined forces to work with their communities to improve their level of service. These departments will now begin working for the District and fire commissioners to provide better emergency services. This will mean improvements in several areas.

How much will it cost me?

An ESD tax is applied to real property. If your home and land were valued by Bastrop County Appraisal District at $50,000, under the current law, the most you would pay would be $50 per year. As we have improved our fire departments we have applied for and received lower ISO (insurance) ratings, this means a significant discount on your homeowner's insurance.

ISO Rating

The departments in Bastrop County ESD No. 1 all hold an ISO rating of 3.  This new rating will go into effect in January 2010.  Please contact your insurance company to verify will you receive the new lower rating.

If you have further questions, please contact us here.