Finance Director Jessica Frazier presented a report to the Board of Commissioners of Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 on May 30 at the board's annual strategic planning session. Travis County ESD No. 2 operates the Pflugerville Fire Department.
A significant portion of the additional costs was due to overtime wages and personal protective equipment for firefighters and emergency medical technicians, Frazier informed the board May 30. The ESD has received more than $43,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to the release, as a portion of the federal government's coronavirus stimulus package.
The fire district has also applied for a nearly $46,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will request reimbursement from FEMA and HHS for COVID-related costs.
“You never recover all that you have spent,” Fire Chief Ron Moellenberg said in the release. “And in many cases, what payments you do receive will take three years to get here. We’re going to suffer a lot financially."
