Pflugerville's Bravest Because We Care

Q: What is an emergency services district?

A: An emergency services district is a local grassroots government that provides fire protection or emergency medical care or both. An ESD is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. It is usually separate from a city government.

In Travis County ESD No. 2, the emergency services district is not part of the City of Pflugerville or other local governments such as the Wells Branch Municipal Utility District or the Northtown Municipal Utility District, although it cooperates closely with these governments to make sure that services are delivered efficiently.

Travis County ESD No. 2 does have a contract with the City of Pflugerville to provide fire marshal services in accordance with the city building code. That means an ESD official inspects local businesses to assure that they are providing a safe environment for customers and for employees. ESD officials also review development plans to make sure that new subdivisions and construction are designed with fire safety in mind. The ESD enforces its own fire code outside the City of Pflugerville.

Q: What does an ESD do?

A: Some ESDs in Texas provide fire protection only; some provide ambulance service. Travis County ESD No. 2 provides fire protection and emergency medical first response. That means that ESD crews provide critical medical assistance in an emergency before an ambulance arrives.

Austin-Travis County EMS is responsible for ambulance service. The City of Austin administers EMS and Travis County pays to support a portion of the effort.

It's important to know that about seven out of every ten calls that the ESD responds to are for medical reasons. As the area grew, as the population became more mobile and as health care became more complex, residents tended to depend on their doctors less in an emergency and called for an ambulance. Austin-Travis County EMS ambulances are stretched thin, though, so ESD2 is often the first line of support when there's a medical emergency in the district.

Q: Does an ESD do anything else?

A: Even when not responding to an emergency, ESD2 provides a variety of services including:

• Fire code enforcement not just in the City of Pflugerville, but the entire district. ESDs are legally permitted to adopt and enforce a fire code, and ESD2 has adopted a code to make sure residents are safe.
• Fire safety such as managing permits for controlled burns of debris in rural areas.
• Fire prevention education, especially for children including the popular Pflugerville Pfire Pfactory presentation for young children.

Q: How is an ESD managed?

A: Travis County ESD2 is overseen by a five-person Board of Commissioners appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court (the governing body for the entire county). The members of the Board of Commissioners, all residents of the district, set policy. They hire the fire chief (Ron Moellenberg) who is the chief executive officer of the district. The chief hires the staff. Currently, ESD2 staffs four stations with three persons around-the-clock.

Travis County ESD No. 2 gets the money for staff and equipment from a property tax and a sales tax. The property tax is limited by the state constitution. The ESD cannot tax more ten cents per $100 of property value. That means that the owners of a home taxed at$150,000 pays $150 a year (a little over $12 a month) for the security that trained, professional firefighters with the most modern equipment will be at their door within minutes of an emergency.

By comparison, a recent analysis by the State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts showed that the City of Austin's tax effort to fund its fire department would be more than twice that- and that doesn't include Austin's debt service or administrative overhead, such as legal expenses. Travis County ESD No.2's tax effort includes making payments on $4.65 million in bonds. The bonds were approved by voters in 1995 for four stations and for big-ticket fire engines.

Fortunately, the half-penny sales tax voters approved in 2000 is available to provide the additional funds needed to keep the department going.
The sales tax provided a reliable source of funding when, as in recent years, the need to expand protection to new areas outpaced the growth in the property tax base.