Wise County Judge J.D. Clark used the county's courthouse history to frame his State of the County address on Tuesday. He spoke at the fifth annual joint Decatur and Bridgeport chambers of commerce luncheon at the Decatur Conference Center. Clark asked residents, "Are we burners? Or are we builders?"
Clark said growth is central to the county's largest challenges. The North Central Texas Council of Governments estimates Wise County had 87,630 residents as of Jan. 1, with nearly two-thirds living outside incorporated cities. U.S. Census Bureau estimates put the 2015 population at about 62,800. Clark said continued growth is adding pressure on county roads, law enforcement, emergency medical services and other infrastructure. He pointed to the recently completed Wise Moves Master Thoroughfare Plan and a Texas Department of Transportation study of U.S. 287. Clark, who finished his term as president of the National Association of Counties this summer, also discussed efforts to win federal investment for locally owned roads and bridges through the proposed BUILD America 250 Act.
Clark said recent county investments include a new full-time EMS station in Alvord, part-time ambulance coverage in the Boonsville-Balsora area and added Wise County Sheriff's Office staff. He said a record year of sales tax revenue helped fund ambulances, sheriff's vehicles and road equipment. Clark also cited a grant-funded cleanup that collected nearly 30,000 scrap tires and a federal rebate program to help residents install storm shelters. He referred to an EF-2 tornado on April 25 that struck Runaway Bay, killing resident Juan Madrid and damaging dozens of homes.