WHITEHOUSE — Smith County ESD board president Mitch Henderson tells KETK Whitehouse Assistant City Manager Mike Huckabee made a presentation to them tonight that the city is looking to increase their level of involvement in the district to forming a city department that will also service the entire VFD district.

The city presented their plan to the board and they tabled it until they can set up a workshop to learn more about the cost structure, effectiveness of response and so on.

Henderson suspects it will be a professional fire department and a volunteer service as well.

"Certainly it's the way it used to be done years ago before the ESD...the City of Whitehouse which had its own VFD performed those services throughout the whole district.  So it may be a merging together of monies and talents...and it may not be successful at all.  We don't know," Henderson said.

Some of the firefighters we spoke with after the meeting aren't completely sure what to think about it.

We spoke with current fire chief Ronnie Fite briefly who declined to say anything on camera because he hasn't even been told much about it.

Also -- many of the firefighters were upset about what's in their new contracts. 

But board president Henderson tells KETK it's a contract that was made from the ground up -- with all of the VFD's participation and support.