Emergency services in Palo Pinto County are beginning to get a little more confusing for some. County Judge David Nicklas spoke Wednesday at this week's Rotary Club of Mineral Wells meeting to try and clear up some of that confusion.
County commissioners recently received a petition from a group asking the county put on the Nov. 6 ballot a question seeking to create Emergency Services District No. 4. The proposed district's boundary is the former Possum Kingdom East EMS service boundary that encompasses the east side of Possum Kingdom Lake south to U.S. Highway 180 then west to the Stephens County line.
The petitioning group wants to contract for 911 EMS service within its new ESD if approved by voters. ESD No. 1, which covers the entire county, already has 911 EMS service for the rural areas of the county not covered by ESD No. 2 in the southeast and Santo area, and Mineral Wells and the area covered by the city's EMS. Sacred Cross EMS is currently under contract by ESD No. 1 to provide that paid, 24/7 service.
Nicklas said commissioners are going to conduct a hearing on the ESD No. 4 petition at its Aug. 13 meeting and possibly decide at that time whether to put the question on the November ballot. The judge has said the county is not required to put the item on the ballot.
The judge said it is questionable under the state health and safety statutes whether another ESD can duplicate an existing service.
A similar proposal, which was designated ESD No. 3, was defeated in 2015 by PK eastside residents. Because that proposition failed that number cannot be re-used.
Nicklas said creating a new property tax-levying ESD raises some concerns in how it will affect the current EMS contract and fund its $650,000 annual contract, as well as the ability for ESD No. 1 to increase its current property tax rate of 3 cents per $100 to fund and support the county's 11 volunteer fire departments.
The county is paying for the EMS contract's first two years, along with a $36,000 annual subsidy to Mineral Wells EMS for calls it makes within its area of responsibility – essentially U.S. Highway 281 north to the county line and south to about Seven-Mile Hill, and west to the Brazos River bridge.
ESD No. 2 in the southeast quadrant of the county levies a sales tax to support the volunteer Santo EMS service that covers the area including the busy and growing Interstate 20 corridor.
If approved, Possum Kingdom residents owning property within ESD No. 4 would pay:
• The ESD No. 1 fire protection property tax.
• Sales tax approved last November to generate monies for ESD No. 1 to pay for EMS service.
• Whatever property tax rate up to 10 cents ESD No. 4 sets to provide emergency medical services.
Nicklas said PK Lake-area properties generate about half of the county's ad valorem revenue.
Only Sacred Cross EMS and Possum Kingdom East EMS submitted bids to ESD No. 1 for the emergency ambulance service contract. The effort to create ESD No. 4 is seen as an effort to contract with PK East EMS to provide 911 EMS within the proposed district. Since the county entered into its contract with Sacred Cross EMS, all 911 calls for emergency medical assistance are dispatched by the sheriff's office to Sacred Cross.
PK East EMS can take and respond to medical calls made directly to its station. It does not receive 911 calls.
The hearing on Aug. 13 is sure to be an interesting discussion with an important decision hanging in the balance.
Nicklas is pictured above with program chair Phil Garrett, center, and Rotary Club president JJ Dugan, right.
Rotary Club of Mineral Wells meets every Wednesday at noon at Holiday Hills Country Club for lunch, networking, updates on club news and events and a program of interest.