The board that oversees Rockwall County's ambulance service, emergency management and law enforcement training facility will vote on its fiscal year 2027 budgets Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The Rockwall County Emergency Services Corporation (ESC) meets at 5 p.m. at the Rockwall Historic Courthouse, 101 East Rusk. The meeting agenda lists votes on three budget resolutions: administrative and operating costs, the countywide Emergency Management Program, and the Law Enforcement Training Facility.

Specific dollar figures for the proposed FY2027 budgets have not been published. The board reviewed preliminary numbers at its July 29 meeting, but those minutes are not yet available.

For comparison, the ESC's FY2025 budgets totaled $400,523. The Emergency Management Program accounted for the largest share at $358,737, covering two staff salaries and benefits at $329,887 plus $18,500 for active shooter drill expenses. The Law Enforcement Firing Range budget was $35,786, funded by contributions from Heath, Rockwall, Rockwall County, Rowlett and Royse City based on sworn officer counts. Administrative costs ran $6,000, split equally among eight member entities at $750 each.

The emergency management budget is divided 50% to Rockwall County, with the remainder split among member cities by population. In FY2025, Rockwall County's share was $179,368 and the City of Rockwall's was $80,770.

The Sept. 16 agenda does not include a separate ambulance services budget vote. That program's contract is being amended after Royse City withdrew from the ESC's ambulance service effective Jan. 1, 2026. At the board's March 18 meeting, Mitch Ownby of Medic Rescue/Rockwall County EMS said response zones would stay largely the same after the withdrawal, minus Royse City. Frank New, who was serving as ESC president, proposed a five-year contract extension at that meeting.

Ownby also reported that during a January 2026 ice storm, the service fielded 175 ambulance calls and maintained 85% response time compliance despite hazardous conditions. At the May 20 meeting, Ownby said the company is in year seven of a 15-year outlook plan and is evaluating a possible new ambulance station in McLendon-Chisholm.

Rockwall County EMS operates four stations covering about 150 square miles and 104,000 residents, according to the company's website. Each Mobile Intensive Care Unit is staffed by two paramedics or a paramedic and EMT.

The ESC, which began operations in 2004, is governed by a board of elected officials from Rockwall County and the cities of Rockwall, Heath, Fate, McLendon-Chisholm, Royse City, Rowlett and Mobile City. Emergency Management Coordinator Jarod Rosson, whose program budget is among those up for a vote, described the office's community work in an August post on the county website about a Rockwall Ready open house. The event doubled as a drill for disaster response. Rosson said the open house "was an exercise to practice opening a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC), which acts as a one-stop shop for residents affected by a disaster."

The ESC received a clean FY2025 audit with no findings, the board confirmed at its May 20 meeting.

The Sept. 16 meeting is open to the public. Residents needing accommodations or interpretive services should contact the Rockwall City Secretary's Office at (972) 771-7700 at least 48 hours in advance.