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ELECTIONS
As local voters prepare to decide the fate of Elgin’s emergency medical services, Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 3 continues to develop its plan for transitioning to a county-operated EMS system.
ESD 3 commissioners voted Oct. 15 to move away from private EMS contracting for the first time in more than two decades. The shift to a district-operated service aims to improve response times and service quality by ending the district’s relationship with Acadian Ambulance, which has held the contract for 11 years.
“Because Acadian was attempting to break even, this limited the deployment to four ambulances in the county,” ESD 3 President James Green said in a statement. “Even though Acadian backfilled ambulances from their Austin operation, there were still long response times to many calls.”
Before the creation of ESD 3 late last year, Acadian operated without taxpayer funding. Concerns about response times and coverage led to a petition and vote to form the district, which now funds and oversees local EMS operations.
The change to a dist r ict- operated EMS agency is expected to take about a year, according to officials. Acadian will continue to provide service during the transition.
“We’ve done a very detailed analysis,” board member Keith Simpson said. “We know where every call was within Bastrop County, the urgency of those calls, and we’ve set response standards that we fully plan to adhere to.”
Elgin voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to join ESD 3 and shift ambulance funding from short-term contracts to a dedicated property tax. Voters already living within the district must also approve the measure for it to take effect.
If annexation fails and the city does not secure a new provider, Elgin’s EMS costs could rise as high as $123,210 per month through late 2026, officials said.
If approved, Elgin residents in Bastrop County would pay up to 10 cents per $100 of property valuation beginning with the 2026 tax year.
Under the ESD 3 model, Elgin residents would have access to five fully staffed 24-hour ambulances, two additional 12-hour peak-time ambulances, round-the-clock coverage from a critical care paramedic supervisor and PHI Air Medical services within Bastrop County.
“The good news is we are moving fast and furious,” Simpson said. “We’ve got to hire staff, design a 911 center and get a lot of work done. We know there is an election coming up, and Elgin and its ETJ will have the opportunity at that time to officially join.”
