Ahead of May election, Travis County ESD 2 outlines potential future of EMS in region

Following the Travis County Commissioners Court's unanimous approval of including a new emergency services district proposal on some area May ballots, Travis County ESD 2 outlined what the future of fire, rescue and emergency medical services for northeast Travis County could entail.

If Travis County voters in Austin's, Manor's and Taylor's extraterritorial jurisdictions approve the proposed ESD 17 in May, EMS and related transport services will transition from ESD 2 to ESD 17. In a Feb. 9 statement, ESD 2 officials said the entity will be open to contracting services with Travis County or the city of Pflugerville for EMS.

The tax base for the ESD 17 proposal is estimated at $4.4 billion, according to ESD documents. Following Pflugerville's rejection of the proposal on the May ballot, the new ESD would service the following regions, if approved:

• Austin's ETJ, including the Wells Branch Municipal Utility District and segments of the Northtown Municipal Utility District
• Manor's ETJ
• Taylor's ETJ

ESD 2, which oversees the Pflugerville Fire Department, will continue providing fire and rescue services to the city of Pflugerville and Pflugerville's ETJ.

The proposed ESD 17 follows financial projections released by ESD 2 last summer that projected a depletion of fund reserves by fiscal year 2023-24. Without additional revenue sources, ESD 2 reported it might not be able to continue providing the current levels of advanced life support and ambulance transport offered, per the release.

Pflugerville City Council voted to deny the inclusion of the proposal on the May ballot. The city hired consulting firm AP Triton to explore additional EMS funding options available to the city, as well as the cost effectiveness of those alternatives.