City Of Pflugerville Stands Against Authorization Of Election By Travis County ESD No. 17

Press release from the City of Pflugerville:

August 20, 2021

This week, Travis County ESD No. 17 authorized a November election to annex the City of Pflugerville and its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) into their jurisdiction to collect additional taxes from Pflugerville residents for EMS services that can be provided under Travis County ESD No. 2. This is an unfortunate attempt to circumvent the Pflugerville City Council’s authority as elected officials to represent Pflugerville residents and provide EMS services.

In their Special Meeting on Wednesday, August 19, Pflugerville City Council unanimously approved a resolution to publicly authorize and support legal action against Travis County ESD No. 17 for calling this election without authority.

Pflugerville City Council took action in February 2021 to not participate in the Travis County ESD No. 17 overlay which would allow an additional tax of up to 10 cents per $100,000 home valuation on top of the taxes residents already pay Travis County ESD No. 2’s to supplement funding for EMS services. City Council stated they needed time to evaluate if the proposed overlay was needed to fund EMS, and hired an industry-leading, independent consultant, AP Triton, to conduct a Fire and EMS Assessment. Completed in June, this assessment found that Travis County ESD No. 2 not only has sufficient funding to continue providing EMS services at the current level of quality and service, but has enough money to continue to do so for at least the next five years. The assessment also found any financial crisis Travis County ESD No. 2 is experiencing is “self-imposed” due to ignored cost savings that could be achieved through cooperation and efficiencies; high staffing levels that do not result in improved quality of service delivery; and the management of existing facilities and equipment that are underutilized while recommending additional facilities be built without the volume that warrants the costs.

However, after receiving the results of the assessment, Travis County ESD No. 17’s un-elected board has decided to press forward with its attempt to annex the City of Pflugerville and its ETJ into its jurisdiction, without establishing a need for additional taxation. There has been no attempt by Travis County ESD No. 17 to engage with Pflugerville City Council in a dialogue to address the concerns reflected in the AP Triton Report or clarification of any perceived cost disparity by Travis County ESD No. 2 for the sustainability of EMS service long-term. In response, the City of Pflugerville is taking all legal actions necessary, including filing a lawsuit against Travis County ESD No. 17 to prevent the unlawful overreach by an entity not elected by or representing the residents of Pflugerville.

The City of Pflugerville is continuing to move forward with an EMS Valuation Study, which is expected to be complete in September, and will determine the net cost of providing EMS services within Pflugerville and its ETJ and provide the City with actionable recommendations for providing EMS services.

This press release was produced by the City of Pflugerville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.