Cap increase for EMS funding on ballot

With the rapid growth of the local population, the need for emergency services has increased along with the need to fund those services. An item on the current ballot for the uniform election involves increasing the cap of ad valorem tax to be allocated to the Emergency Service District 9 that funds local EMS services. Early voting started April 22, and the election date is May 4.

Tom Maia is a paramedic for San Marcos Hays County EMS and is the Hays County EMS Association Secretary, a union representing the interests of EMS employees. Maia said San Marcos Hays County EMS serves the majority of Hays County, including outlying areas of San Marcos, Kyle and surrounding areas, Dripping Springs and unincorporated areas of Hays County such as Belterra, Driftwood and Henly, to name a few.

“Hays County ESD 9 is one of the Emergency Service Districts in the county that, in that specific case, is used to fund EMS,” Maia said. “For the agency that I mentioned (San Marcos Hays County EMS), it’s funded by a couple of different entities to include an ESD for North Hays — Hays ESD 1. The city of San Marcos is another major funding stream. In order to fund units to be able to operate in Kyle, outlying areas of San Marcos and other unincorporated parts of the county there is ESD 9. That was formed in 2019, so it’s a relatively young ESD.”

Maia said 911 emergency response services are funded largely by property taxes as well as the city. The tax dollars go toward new personnel, new ambulances, up-to-date equipment and medications and ensures that people are receiving good care. Maia said requests for medical aid account for around 2/3s of all 911 calls.

“Anyone who has lived in Hays County knows that it has experienced explosive growth in the 21st century. The city of Kyle alone, their population has doubled in growth from just above 20,000 in 2008 to over $40,000 after 2020. That growth rate curve is only expected to steepen,” Maia said. “With an ever growing population that means you have more people calling 911. That means you have more people getting into accidents, both on the I-35 corridor and the larger intersecting boulevards … It’s important for voters to know that EMS needs to grow with the county. We can’t have, for example, four full-time ambulances in the Kyle area when pretty soon we’re going to need five and then eventually six.”

The proposition up for election on May 4 is to raise the ad valorem tax rate cap that goes to ESD 9 and funds San Marcos Hays County EMS services.

“Currently for six cents of $100 valuation, those property taxes are devoted to EMS, so the proposition would raise the cap from six cents of every $100 dollars to ten cents of every $100 dollars [of property taxes],” Maia said. “This election does not actually raise [property] taxes, it just raises that cap.”

Justin Waggoner, ESD District Representative, confirmed that there is no tax rate increase as a result of approving this proposition for the May 2024 election.

“There is no increase in funding as a result of a successful election in May. A subsequent election would be required to increase the property tax rate beyond the current de minimis amount,” Waggoner said. “By moving the cap to the state maximum allowed (as all modern ESDs are formed with at this time), it gives the freedom and ability for the District, at a later point when the need arises, to return to the voters for approval to increase the overall property tax rate (ad valorem) to an amount to address budgetary increases.”

To learn more about the proposition go to esd9.net/ elementor-1114.