September 7, 2021 | Cole Karr

The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) welcomes the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts and the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts (SAFE-D) as members of its burgeoning organization.

NSDC’s Executive Board voted to approve the two state stakeholders as associate members following its formal adoption of a membership structure.

“This is an exciting moment for the Coalition as we add our first two associate members,” said Cole Karr, NSDC Federal Advocacy Coordinator. “NSDC has enjoyed the opportunity to have worked over the past year and a half with the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts and SAFE-D to advocate for special districts’ access to COVID-19 relief. They are effective leaders and voices for their special districts, and we are happy to have them aboard the national Coalition.”

The Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts has served as the trade association for Washington State’s public hospital districts since 1952. Its members are public hospital districts established by state law with a board of publicly elected commissioners. The association provides education and advocacy services as well as offers a network for cooperation and best practices sharing among the state’s hospital districts.

“The Washington Public Hospital Districts face the same, complex challenges that come with the unique aspect of operating as a special purpose district as many others across the country,” said Matthew Ellsworth, the association’s Executive Director. “Our new partnership with NSDC will go a long way in empowering us, along with others, to forge the best possible environment for our districts to serve our public mission.” 

SAFE-D's mission is to support Texas’ emergency services districts (ESDs) and the men and women who work to provide safety for millions of Texans. As Texas outgrows the abilities of cities and rural volunteer fire departments, ESDs are on the cutting edge of providing fire protection and emergency medical response to large portions of the state. Since 2001, the SAFE-D has been the only association dedicated to bringing these local governments together.

“We in Texas are eager to learn more from our forward-thinking colleagues in special districts across the nation,” said Cliff Avery, Executive Director of SAFE-D. “Ten million Texans are served by emergency services districts, a population that’s greater than 41 states in the U.S.”

NSDC is the only national organization representing and advocating for all special districts at a national level. Organized in 2018, a group of five state special districts associations in California, Colorado, Florida, Oregon and Utah established a memorandum of understanding aimed to share resources, best practices and openly network to identify solutions to common problems for special districts across state lines. In addition to the abovementioned special districts stakeholders, the coalition also includes state special districts associations in South Carolina and Wyoming.

For more information, contact Cole Karr, NSDC Federal Advocacy Coordinator, at colek@nationalspecialdistricts.org.