"I think that's fair, and it doesn't ruin the spirit of what we're trying to do here," said Council Member Rudy Metayer, who has served on a subcommittee working with ESD 2 through ongoing negotiations regarding EMS services to the city.
At issue is a request from ESD 2 in the amount of about $2.8 million annually to maintain EMS/Ambulance services for the city of Pflugerville.
Without that funding, the district stated it would have to cease providing EMS services to Pflugerville by the end of September.
The subject has been a source of contention between the two entities, especially after Pflugerville City Council decided to forego participation in a May vote to create an overlay district that would have expanded services, but also levied another property tax of up to $0.10 per $100 valuation for Pflugerville property owners.
Called ESD 17, voters in nearby areas of Austin and unincorporated Travis County passed the overlay district during the May 1 election.
A Jan. 15 letter from ESD No. 2's board obtained by Community Impact Newspaper stated that the district's projections show its financial reserves will be depleted by 2024. Because of that budget projection, the district requested an annual subsidy of $2.793 million for ambulances and operational costs for staff, equipment and capital expenses for emergency medical first response.
That request was essentially shut down on June 21, when AP Triton, a consulting firm specializing in service delivery methodology and practices for fire and emergency care services, delivered to council a three-hour presentation that ultimately stated the district's request is unsubstantiated and its financial crisis is self-imposed.
During the June 22 City Council meeting officials also decided they would take action on EMS services for the city on July 13, which is when the next regular City Council meeting will take place. The action taken by council will likely be selected from a list of options provided by AP Triton as part of its study.
