Cibolo City Council unanimously approved an amendment to its Interlocal Agreement with Schertz EMS for emergency medical services July 8 which will increase Cibolo’s contribution to Schertz EMS by 20% in fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 and by another 5% in 2027-28, according to agenda documents.
Schertz EMS was given a similar 20%, 20%, 5% commitment from Universal City at its June 3 council meeting, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The contribution will increase from $662,028.24 in the current fiscal year to $794,433.89 in 2025-26.
What happened
On June 10, Schertz EMS Director Jason Mabbitt presented the needs for EMS to council, stating that equipment and staffing costs have led to the organization losing fund balance.
“We were operating in the black, but in fiscal year 24-25, we started creeping into the red with our cash,” Mabbitt said.
As of the June 10 presentation, Schertz EMS is estimated to lose $796,917 in the current fiscal year. Along with a change from 24-hour to 12-hour shifts increasing employee count, costs in EMS equipment like ambulances have continued to rise significantly, Mabbitt said.
“We think inflation has started to slow, but it’s just not coming down,” Mabbitt said.
Schertz EMS services Cibolo, Schertz, Selma, Universal City, Live Oak, Marion and Santa Clara. In the Schertz EMS coverage area calls for service have increased from 10,713 in 2020 to an estimated 15,565 in 2025, or 45.29%, Mabbitt said. Mabbitt said that calls in Cibolo specifically are up 13% from the prior year.
The options
Schertz EMS gave Cibolo and other partner cities two options, one that would increase the 2025-26 contribution by 35%, followed by 5% increases in 2026-27 and 2027-28, according to agenda documents.
Mabbitt said several city managers asked for a more spread out option, leading to the 20%, 20% and 5% increases. This option—the one chosen by Cibolo—would bring Schertz EMS to a positive cash balance by the end of fiscal year 2026-27.
Council member Joel Hicks asked Mabbitt if a model increasing contributions by 15% each fiscal year would be sufficient. Mabbitt said they would not prefer that option as they would not be cash positive until 2027-28.
Next steps
Schertz EMS will be meeting with other cities and entities in the coming months, Mabbitt said.
