Cottonwood Shores to host Town Hall regarding fire protection
The Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department at 610 Birch Lane. Staff photo by Maci Cottingham.
Cottonwood Shores will soon host a town hall to update residents on their future fire protection as the city works under a three-year deadline to rebuild its fire department. The update will come following months of struggle between city leaders and the Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, at Trinity Bible Church, 621 Magnolia Lane in Cottonwood Shores.
The city has been under a contract with the Horseshoe Bay Fire Department for fire protection services since March, agreeing to pay $174,000 annually over the next three years as it works to build up its own fire department following a split from the Cottonwood Shores VFD.
The city of Cottonwood Shores and the Cottonwood Shores VFD are separate entities. The VFD is its own nonprofit organization that the city had historically contracted with for fire protection services. Its funding used to come from fundraisers, donations, and a $45,000 annual contract with the city, but that contract was terminated in October 2024 by the city due to perceived negligent services.
The Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department took Cottonwood Shores under its wing in August 2025 and aided with fire protection until Horseshoe Bay took over this past March.
According to city leaders, negotiations with the Cottonwood Shores VFD have recently broken down further, over control of the VFD’s land, buildings, and equipment at 610 Birch Lane.
In April, the city reportedly offered to take over VFD assets and help cover its debts. The VFD was said to have rejected that offer and instead proposed donating the smaller building and forming a new nonprofit to operate from the remaining structure.
City officials told DailyTrib that the land and assets were originally donated by the community through Cottonwood Pride, a 501C3 non-profit, dating back to 1993, for fire service use, and were not owned by the VFD.
“Our responsibility is to make sure our city has a viable fire department and rescue, and we don’t have that with them,” City Manager JC Hughes told DailyTrib.
Council Member Michael Ritchie said the city has run out of time to keep negotiating with the VFD, and must move forward with other viable options.
“We’ve tried to work with them for years. We’ve come in good faith with multiple different offers with their cooperation, and they’ve rejected the plans that they’ve worked with us to create. At this point, we don’t have the luxury of time because of our time limit with Horseshoe Bay,” Ritchie told DailyTrib. “They’ve shown they don’t really seem to be interested in working for the betterment of the community.”