The details
Initiatives will include:
- 14 propositions to amend the city’s charter
- If emergency services will include Emergency Services District No. 3
All eligible voters living in the city of Elgin can vote on propositions to amend the city’s charter, which was last updated in 2009, while residents living in the Bastrop County portions of Elgin will vote on ESD No. 3.
A comprehensive list of the propositions can be accessed online.
Zooming in
If voters OK the ESD No. 3 expansion, Elgin residents and those who live in its extraterritorial jurisdiction within Bastrop County will pay up to $0.10 per $100 of taxable value to the district—a move that would become effective in January.
How we got here
Bastrop County commissioners, as well as each City Council within the county, unanimously approved placing the proposition on the November 2024 ballot—except for the city of Elgin and its extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Elgin officials decided to opt out from participating at a meeting in August 2024.
"I'm not sure ... everyone understands all the potential ramifications and impacts of this proposal," Elgin City Manager Thomas Mattis said at the time.
He emphasized that his main concerns were that there was a lack of binding commitments from ESD No. 3 to:
- Have an Elgin representative on the ESD No. 3 board
- Have emergency medical services facilities housed in Elgin
- Have EMS units stationed in Elgin
Some context
Preston McGrew, a Bastrop County First Responders volunteer, helped pitch the idea for ESD No. 3. He and his peers, Caleb Peck and Paul Hightower, cited long response times across Bastrop County when making presentations at City Council meetings across Bastrop County.
“We frequently see it go to level zero, which means there are no ambulances available anywhere in the county, and wait times between 45 minutes to an hour,” McGrew previously told Community Impact. "This just isn’t sustainable as a long-term solution, especially with the population growth we are seeing in Bastrop County."
ESD No. 3 officials listed several objectives for ESD No. 3, including:
- Stations located along major roadways with close proximity to high-demand areas
- Staffing five 24-hour units and two 12-hour units
- Assigning units based on population density
Early voting will continue through Oct. 31 before Election Day on Nov. 4.
Bastrop County voters in the city of Elgin can vote at the following locations:
- Early voting: North Bastrop County Community Annex, 704 Bull Run, Elgin
- Election Day: North Bastrop County Community Annex, 704 Bull Run, Elgin
- Early voting: Manor Elementary Early Learning Center, 122905 Greg Manor Road, Manor
- Election Day: Manor Elementary Early Learning Center, 122905 Greg Manor Road, Manor
- Election Day: Ministerios Filadelfia Iglesia Cristiana, 13704 County Line Road, Elgin

