Incumbent Karen Plummer is running for one of the at-large positions as a team with Robert Pinard and Tommy Ripley. Incumbents Robert Berleth and Kevin Brost are running as a team with Matt Folsom as well, while Fred Blanton is running independently, said Norm Uhl, Cypress Creek EMS public information officer.
There are five commissioners on the board in total, Uhl said. The three candidates who receive the most votes in the election will serve four-year terms on the board. Early voting ends May 3, and election day is 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 7.
Blanton said he knows how to make people work together for a common good.
“The key element of any community is its schools and hospitals and ability for good medical care,” he said. “We need to keep that in good order.”
Ripley said he is interested in pursuing inefficiencies in the district’s budget to help lower costs and help the organization function well.
“Living in this area for more than 40 years, I believe CCEMS is second to none and recognized not only as a top tiered ambulance service in the Gulf Coast region but nationwide,” he said.
Pinard said he he believes the ESD board is broken and is concerned that the issues will eventually affect patient care. He advocates for transparency.
“There needs to be new blood on the board, fresh ideas, experienced problem solvers, and people who know how to manage multiple issues at the same time,” he said.
If re-elected, Plummer said she hopes to guarantee the same level of service residents have come to expect even as the area continues to expand.
“If I am re-elected to the board, it is my goal and promise to keep ‘boots on the ground’ and support our contractor CCEMS so they can operate and function in a manner that allows for the future growth and security for our community and its residents,” she said.
The platform for Berleth’s campaign is to improve the reputation of the CCEMS, he said.
“We are running to save CCEMS from complete destruction, gain transparency and to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely in efficient and effective manners,” he said.
If reelected, Brost said he will focus on how the money is being allocated.
“I am running for ESD [No.] 11 commissioner again to continue to be the watchdog for the $30 million dollars of public money that is being spent and to make sure the 600,000 [plus] people in ESD [No.] 11 are getting the best EMS service for their money,” he said.
Folsom said he believes he has the specific skills, experience and wisdom to keep CCEMS as a top tier service.
“When elected, I'll establish transparency and accountability with regular and reliable reporting posted to the ESD [No.] 11 website and establish a new contract with CCEMS that lines out clear expectations of service levels, performance and a tax supplement payment system based on ambulance billing collections,” he said.
Commissioners have no term limits and elections are staggered, which means not all of the positions are up for election at the same time, Uhl said. There will be no runoff elections for the positions.
CCEMS covers 177 square miles in North Harris County east of Hwy. 290 to Hwy. 59 and north of Beltway 8 to the Montgomery County line. Uhl said the annual budget for CCEMS is $22 million, of which ESD No. 11 contributes 51 percent of that from property tax revenue.
“Cypress Creek EMS picks up the rest of the expense from funds raised by CCEMS through ambulance fees, communications fees for the fire departments for which CCEMS handles 911 and dispatch, and tuition paid by students in the academy,” he said.
Polling locations
Spring Volunteer Fire Department
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 7, or Spring Volunteer Fire Department’s boundaries, can vote in one of two polling locations.
ESD No. 7 Election Precinct 1 voters can vote at the Spring Fire Station No. 71 Administration Building, 656 E. Louetta Road, Spring
County precincts: 006, 041, 110, 399, 586, 587, 588, 596, 634, 747, 753, 897, 912
ESD No. 7 Election Precinct 2 voters can vote at Spring Fire Station No. 72, 23000 Northcrest Drive, Spring
County precincts: 114, 246, 263, 452, 482, 500, 503, 539, 552, 575, 633, 672, 690, 735, 851, 874, 878, 915, 955
Cypress Creek Volunteer Fire Department
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 13, or Cypress Creek Volunteer Fire Department’s boundaries, can vote at CCVFD Station No. 22, 11900 Cypress N. Houston Road, Cypress
County precincts: 125, 244, 442, 478, 479, 481, 484, 486, 516, 519, 548, 597, 602, 609, 688, 691, 694, 768, 805, 823, 828, 878, 983
Klein Volunteer Fire Department
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 16, or Klein Volunteer Fire Department’s boundaries, can vote at Klein VFD Administration Building, 16810 Squyres Road, Spring
County precincts: 082, 112, 137, 173, 245, 263, 451, 466, 477, 484, 485, 513, 514, 515, 551, 575, 601, 614, 615, 623, 631, 648, 668, 672, 684, 757, 788, 853, 876, 880, 903, 916, 926, 982, 998
Ponderosa Volunteer Fire Department
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 28, or Ponderosa Volunteer Fire Department’s boundaries, can vote at Ponderosa VFD Station No. 61, 17061 Rolling Creek, Houston
County precincts: 399, 464, 465, 520, 550, 657, 757, 783, 874, 883, 894, 997
Champions Emergency Services District
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 29, or the Champions Emergency Services District boundaries, can vote at HCESD No. 29 Fire Station, 12730 Champion Forest Drive, Houston
County precincts: 113, 451, 493, 513, 516, 592, 614, 623, 669
Northeast Fire and Rescue
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 10, or the Northeast Fire and Rescue boundaries, can vote at Northeast Fire and Rescue, 6930 Cypresswood Point Ave., Humble
County precincts: 35, 457, 587, 599, 756, 841, 1007
Little York Volunteer Fire Department
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 17, or the Little York Volunteer Fire Department’s boundaries, can vote at HCESD No. 17 Station No. 84, 1220 Rushworth, Houston
County precincts: 358, 468, 520, 549, 614, 660, 678, 717, 757, 825, 894, 957, 958, 981
Northwest Volunteer Fire Department
All of the ESD No. 11 voters residing in ESD No. 20, or the Northwest Volunteer Fire Department’s boundaries, can vote at Northwest VFD Station No. 42, 5335 Green Pines, Houston
County precincts: 113, 468, 493, 516, 592, 597
