Pflugerville to enter into negotiations to again utilize Travis County ESD 2 for ambulance services

Editor's note: This story has been changed to reflect that the city did not contract with ESD 2, rather, the district was funded through a combination of sales and property taxes.

The city of Pflugerville will soon begin negotiations for ambulance services with Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2.

At a May 10 meeting, Pflugerville City Council voted 6-1 to authorize opening negotiations, with Council Member David Rogers voting against.

The decision comes after the city's former EMS provider, Acadian Ambulance Services, mutually terminated its contract with the city in March due to a jurisdictional disagreement.

The city interviewed several potential providers, but discussion at the meeting centered almost entirely on ESD 2, which provided Pflugerville's EMS services before the city switched to Acadian.

Council members identified several potential advantages to returning to ESD 2, including its familiarity with the Pflugerville's geography and its history of positive service.

“We looked at all the options ... but at the end of the day when you talk about what’s fiscally responsible for the city and what's the best route we can go for the safety of our citizens, [ESD 2] is the route we went," Council Member Ceasar Ruiz said.

However, the city began seeking other EMS services after ESD 2 officials notified the city in December 2020 that it would need $2.8 million in additional annual funding.

At the May 10 meeting, funding was one of several issues officials addressed during negotiations.

"Our voters said no with a margin of almost two to one to additional tax for EMS just seven months ago," Council Member Kimberly Holiday said.

Council Member Doug Weiss said in the long term, the city will need to work with ESD 2 to create an in-house ambulance service rather than contracting services from a third party.

Additionally, On May 3, ESD 2 issued a news release stating several cadets would graduate in June from the district's first firefighter/EMT certification program.

"As a merged entity, I truly believe we enable long-term sustainability [and] we enable flexibility," Weiss said. "What we saw over the last two years is indicative of a system that is outdated and doesn't work in a city of our size."

Acadian is contractually obligated to continue providing services to the city until July 13, but City Manager Sereniah Breland said she intends to begin negotiations with ESD 2 this week to broker an agreement before Acadian's contract fully expires.