After months of failed talks, Cottonwood Shores city officials will proceed with a plan to part with the commu- nity's volunteer fire de partment and contract with an outside agency.
At the same time, officials are working towards building their own paid agency.
“Our volunteer fire department went through some hard times. When the dust settled, there were a few people left – very nice people. They gave it their all,”Cottonwood Shores Mayor Jared Dodd told The Highlander.
As a result, the city recently approved a contract – effective April 1 – with neighboring Horseshoe Bay Fire Rescue for $174,000 per year for the next three years for fire service.
A caveat of the contract involved the city working towards independence within that time period.
City Administrator JC Hughes reiterated that Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department (CWSVFD) could not meet the minimum obligation to provide ad- equate fire service.
“Technically, they could not comply to furnish immediate response in a timely manner with the staffing they have," Hughes said.
Today, the volunteer agency is composed pri- marily of a fire chief and two volunteers, Hughes explained. “For the past year and a half, the city has operated without a fire service contract.
A timeline of events chronicles the partnership breakdown between the city and the volunteer fire department. Within the last year, a series of fire incidents magnified the understaffed and inconsistent nature of the volunteer agency.
Two notable incidents within the past year in- cluded a dumpster fire and a house fire on Fir Lane. The only responding agencies were Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, Marble Falls Area EMS and Horseshoe Bay Fire De- partment, officials say.
Due to its close prox- imity, Horseshoe Bay fire crews served as the primary responders as CSVFD’s service capabilities continued to wane.
Dodd said, “(Horseshoe Bay has) always helped us, but it’s because they offer mutual aid. (The Horseshoe Bay fire chief) said, in essence, you really don’t have a fire department because they (Cottonwood Shores VFD) are not offering mutual aid.
“So you’re getting fire service for free (from Horseshoe Bay Fire Rescue),” Dodd added. “It’s not just.”
In February 2025, administrators formed a Fire Services Options Review Committee to find solutions. The group included fire chiefs from Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay as well as the CWSVFD Fire Chief Ray Schwartz, Cottonwood Shores City Commissioner Michael Ritchie, the mayor and citizen representatives.
Participants agreed upon a "combo" fire de partment format. A combo department involves the city hiring a paid, part-time chief. The paid fire chief would answer to the city, handle administrative tasks and oversee volunteers. Another agency (paid or volunteer) would provide supplemental service. Funds for the part-time chief are being factored into the 2027-- 28 fiscal year budget, Hughes said.
In April 2025, the Cottonwood Shores City Council approved the recommendation, however, the Cottonwood Shores VFD board of directors rejected the plan.
In October 2025, the city sent CSVFD a proposed contract (approximately $45,000). Fourteen weeks passed without an answer, officials say.
Ritchie, the city commissioner who acted as the liaison, said the terms of the contract presented to the VFD mirrored agreements for the past five years.
Finally, the CSVFD board sent back a reworked contract that city administrators then rejected.
“All of the liability protections that had been in the contract were removed,” Ritchie said. “All of the reporting requirements to the city, their activities, training – all of that was removed.
“They also demanded that we pay them for the last year and a half when there wasn’t a contract in place,” he added.
In December 2025, the city received a letter from Horseshoe Bay about no longer responding to calls for service without a contract. The city council approved the partnership.
To fund the Horseshoe Bay contract, the city administrator designated funds from both an open city staff position (approximately $87,000) as well as another $87,000 that had been set aside to potentially contract with Marble Falls Area VFD.
However, those negotiations fell apart, leading to Cottonwood Shores administrators eventually finalizing the
current deal with Horseshoe Bay Fire Rescue.
Fire Hall
The Cottonwood Shores VFD building, 610 Birch Ln., became another point of contention.
In 1993, a nonprofit group called Cottonwood Pride raised funds to purchase the land and designated VFD offi cials as the custodian of the property.
In the midst of recent negotiations, the city offered the VFD $50,000 for the property – an offer that was rejected. On Thursday, April 16, Cottonwood Shores City Council approved building on existing city property, four lots at the entryway of the city, instead.
The next steps involve sharing the details and timeline of events with citizens at a town hall meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 23. The meeting occurred after press deadline on Thursday. Find the report in the next edition of The Highlander.
