Firefighters and some residents have said they are upset by a petition seeking to remove the 1 cent sales tax from Travis County ESD 2 and donate half a cent to the city of Pflugerville in hopes of establishing a city ambulance service.
Melody Ryan, press secretary Pflugerville Residents for Responsible Taxation, said the group launched the petition in October after ESD stopped providing ambulance services to the city. Ryan said the petition gathered more than 7,000 signatures, which were handed over to ESD on Dec. 16.
Ryan said the group wants local taxes to be used in Pflugerville by leaders chosen by the residents. She said ESD 2 would still be able to fund its fire department without having to close any stations or lay off firefighters.
“This petition is not about cutting EMS funding, but rather about transferring control of funding to elected officials,” Ryan said. “We need to transfer taxes from ESD 2 to the city of Pflugerville so that the city can offer EMS. This allows our elected city council to make decisions that are best for our city’s residents. Everyone inside ESD 2 will have to vote for it.”
Signatures must be verified by the ESD Board of Commissioners 2 by February 17 in order for the resolution to be placed on the May ballot. The petition must have at least 5% of the signatures of the number of registered voters.
Travis County ESD #2, also known as the Pflugerville Fire Department, used to provide ambulance service to the city until it said it could no longer afford it due to increased calls. In November 2021, voters in the area outside of Pflugerville approved the creation of ESD #17 to handle emergency calls in ESD #2’s service area. The City said the county’s approximately $2.8 million stipend for emergency calls was unfounded, and did not include this item on the ballot, stating that they would explore other funding options.
In June, the city council approved a two-year contract with Allegiance Mobile Health to provide emergency services to residents. ESD 2 still provides fire services within the city.
On Tuesday, Pflugerville Fire Chief Nick Perkins held a press conference in front of the Pflugerville Justice Center, minutes before a scheduled city council meeting. On the agenda of the council was the issue of funding the ambulance service in the city.
Perkins said if the petition is granted, the department could lose up to a third of its budget, reducing its ability to do its job. He said the department could lose 80 to 100 firefighters, with response times up to 20 minutes.
“This is not a scare tactic. I’m trying to educate the public about what this means,” Perkins said. “The reality is that this organization is meant to serve and protect society.”
More:Pflugerwil speaks with second ambulance provider after rising tensions with ESD
Members of the Pflugerville Fire Association also gathered outside the Justice Center chanting, “Don’t defund the fire department.” The association consists of 107 members.
Josh Stubblefield, president of the association, said that if ESD 2 lost half a cent of its sales tax, it would have to close fire stations and lay off firefighters. He added that even if the city had a sales tax, it would not guarantee that it would be used to fund the EMS service.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Why would you want to create a redundant service that already exists? That would be a huge waste of taxpayer money. It would be absolutely devastating for everyone involved.”
Following Perkins’ presentation in which he stressed the importance of defunding the fire department, council members discussed what the future of the city’s ambulance service might look like.
Officials said the city wants to eventually have its own ambulance service. In July, they said they would be looking to work with ESD #2 to explore long-term options for EMS services.
Mayor Victor Gonzalez on Tuesday said the council has no control over what happens to the petition. He said it was up to the voters whether the resolution would be put to a vote.
“The possibility (of funding ESD 2) is not even something that we have discussed at the moment,” Gonzalez said.
Other council members spoke in the same vein. Caesar Ruiz, Rudy Metayer and Pro Tem Mayor Doug Weiss said that ESD 2 is doing the best job and that it can be difficult for the city to have its own ambulance services without the necessary funds.
“We won’t be able to launch our own service,” Ruiz said.
Board members Jim McDonald and David Rogers have previously cited what they say ESD’s unwillingness to work together on a transition plan between an outgoing and new supplier as a reason for voting to drop the organization from the contract.
More:Pflugerville starts negotiations with ESD #2 to provide EMS services again
Several residents spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, asking the council not to allow ESD 2 funding to end.
“It would be a parody and a disservice to this community if all of this was thrown out,” Mac Harrison said.
Teri Lucas told the council, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” She said the only reason anyone would go against a system that isn’t broken is for financial gain, power, or revenge.
Other residents praised ESD for the times they needed its services.
“We had a lot of good experiences where they helped more and more,” said Grace Nicholas.
Ryan was the only person to speak before the council in support of the half-cent sales tax transfer.
With ESD. 2 ceased providing services to the city, it has hired Acadian Ambulance for this, effective January 1, 2022. However, in March, Pflugerville officials voted unanimously to terminate the contract with Acadian after only two months, citing dissatisfaction with service quality. , including inadequate response time.
Allegiance, a private company based in Georgetown, began providing ambulance services on July 1, with a one-year extension option, city officials said.
More:Travis County ESD 2 is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for a new fire station at Pflugerville.
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