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Pflugerville annexation election: What's the best way to provide equal emergency services?

ESD 17 Props A and B are the the controversial items on the ballot in Pflugerville.

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — In Pflugerville, voting and city council special meetings are happening to decide the best way to ensure everyone gets equal access to emergency medical services. 

There is a lot on the ballot in Pflugerville, but on Wednesday, the annexation election had people on both sides fighting the wind to win. 

"We love our citizens, and we want to provide them with the best," said president of Pflugerville Professional Firefighters Association Josh Stubblefield.

The Pflugerville Professional Firefighters Association has been spending the week trying to get voters to vote yes to Pflugerville Propositions A and B.

Prop A would allow the newly created Travis County Emergency Services District 17 to provide ambulance services to ESD 2, which covers parts of Pflugerville and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. 

Prop B would add a tax, which is why Melody Ryan is urging voters to check no. 

"By state law, to tax residents 10 cents on the property tax rate for every $100 in value, that's ESD2," said Ryan. "Then ESD 17 is an overlay, which really means duplicate, and they're going to come right on top and have another 10 cents of the property tax rate that they're allowed by law to charge us."

Ryan is with Pflugerville Residents for Responsible Taxation.

But people who are for and against these props see the taxing issue differently.

"The ambulance service we provide has never been funded," said Stubblefield. "We have to pay for it out of a fire budget. So the double tax, it's completely false."

Pflugerville's city council is also against the propositions. After ESD 2 announced it needed more funding and will resign later this year, the city council chose to look into a private ambulance service called Acadian, which wouldn't increase taxes.

On Tuesday night, the Council voted to move forward with negotiating with that private service on Saturday. 

Stubblefield said Acadian would have slower rate times and cost three times more.

"If you can't pay, they come after you and they keep coming after you, and they keep coming after you and bill aggressively," said Stubblefield. "They send it to collections." 

Early voting ends on Friday and Election Day is Tuesday.

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