Officials discuss future of EMS in Pflugerville

At a joint meeting in May, ESD 2 officials were not willing to commit to helping the city establish internal EMS.

However, some council members said the on-the-spot nature of the request at that meeting may have contributed to the hesitancy, and ESD 2 may be more willing to work with the city now.

To that end, a city subcommittee will attend ESD 2's upcoming annual planning retreat to discuss a potential partnership.

"This is the time for them to tell us exactly if they're willing to be in a partnership with us," Council Member Kimberly Holiday said. "If they say no, then we move forward."

City Manager Sereniah Breland said another necessary step moving forward will be to conduct a study assessing the funding that would be needed to run a municipal EMS department.

Ideally, she said, ESD 2 or another organization partnering with the city would help jointly fund the study.

"I absolutely believe you should study something before you move forward," Breland said.

At the July 12 meeting, council also approved a resolution stating the city "intends to plan for and manage high-quality advanced life support emergency medical service within the boundaries of the city."

The resolution does not bind the city to any particular action; it simply acts as a statement of intent.