Hawk Cove, Texas, January 20, 2026. Peace of mind arrived in person. At the start of Part 2 of the Council’s January 20, 2026 regular meeting, a county fire official attended “just to reassure your public that if they dial 9-1-1 you’re gonna get fire department response, you’re gonna get ambulance response” (0:00:23).
Next, a letter from the president of the County Fire Association was read at public comment. It said the town “is covered by two fire departments,” split so the closest one responds, and that this protection has been provided “without cost to the city itself.” The letter’s recommendation: that “the town continue with the current county fire protection plan in place” (0:01:19 to 0:03:17). It also warned that contracting with a single department would mean “paying for a service but at this time costed nothing” (0:02:50). The Council asked for copies, three of them (0:03:51).
Highlights
- County decision: the Council heard that the County had “recently voted to discontinue its contract with” a fire department, “citing a 90 day transitionary period” (0:06:10).
- Communication received: “the city has received no communications from the county commissioner’s office either before or after the vote on January 5th” (0:06:26).
- Update, March 17, 2026: “We don’t have anything to report on the fire report other than what they had told us before. When somebody calls 911, somebody’s coming” (March 17, 2026, 0:05:43).
We appreciate a County that lets its votes speak for themselves. Hawk Cove learned of the January 5 decision without a single letter, call or e-mail from the commissioner’s office, which is the most efficient kind of communication there is. In fairness, the County was represented in January in its own way: the fire official who came to reassure residents said the precinct three commissioner “had asked me to try to make the attendance” (0:00:23).
As of March, the plan is simple and reassuring. When somebody calls 911, somebody’s coming.