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Medina County Emergency Services District 4 board president Steve Smith, left, and board treasurer Patrick DuBose confer during a board meeting held Friday evening Photo by Anton Riecher.
By Anton Riecher
By a 4-0 vote, the Medina County Emergency Services District No. 4 board of commissioners took action at its Friday meeting not to renew the district’s contract with Allegiance Health Care which expires Sept. 30.
However, the board voted to invoke a “lame duck” clause in the contract to extend service until Nov. 1 when a new contract with Castroville-based ESD No. 1 takes effect.
ESD4 board president Steve Smith blamed shifting demographics for the board’s recent decision to change ambulance providers.
“Our older generation is aging out,” Smith said. “While still engaged, they have lesser physical ability and increasing health care concerns.”
In other business, the board took action to approve a 2025 tax rate of $.0521 per $100 valuation, an increase of 14 cents for the district’s median households.
The board action followed a Sept. 10 public hearing that saw no input from the community on the issue.
Regarding the decision to align with ESD1, Smith said the older generation has been largely unable to “pass the baton” on to younger residents because “nobody’s stepping up,” Smith said. Parents overwhelmed by personal obligations find little time to engage in community concerns. Younger residents are too often occupied with financial challenges.
Businesses operated by outside interests no longer support volunteerism, Smith said. All of this has come together to force an allegiance with ESD1 “in order to provide the services our citizens demand,” he said.
With no local hospital to rely on “ESD1 is the primary health care provider in this district,” Smith said.
“We can’t rely on tenured volunteers to provide the services,” he said. ”We need to ensure the highest quality service for the district we can afford.”
On a motion by board treasurer Patrick DuBose, seconded by Jerry Beck, the board approved the non -renewal decision. The lame duck extension was on motion by Beck, seconded by DuBose.
A draft letter to Allegiance outlining the transition to ESD1, including the transfer of the ESD4 ambulances, was approved on a motion by board member Tony Martin, seconded by DuBose. The board voted to appoint Smith to negotiate the details of the operational transition with ESD1.
The board also voted to appointed Beck to serve as its representative in interviewing candidates for a new administrative position to work together with a battalion chief assigned to Devine by ESD1.
Regarding the ESD1 transition, Natalia-based ESD5 administrator Elizabeth Cargile questioned the board on proposals to convert the ESD4 station in Devine into administrative offices and training center for local emergency response.
“My concern is that Natalia tax dollars will be going to Devine Fire if they make this the administrative office,” Cargile said.
Smith explained that the proposal involves staging one of the two local ambulances at the DuBose fire station in Devine. However, Devine ESD2 and ESD4 will remain separate operations with separate accounting.
Plans remain in place for the construction of a separate ambulance station in Natalia in the near future, Smith said. Until then, the ambulance crew assigned to Natalia will continue to sleep at the ESD4 Devine station as there are no personal quarters available at the fire house.
Natalia Mayor Tommy F. Ortiz and Alderman Darin Frazier also attended the Friday meeting.
Smith noted that one advantage of the new service contract is the ESD1 staff includes a deputy chief who is currently serving as contractor on renovation of the Hondo fire station. It is expected that he will help move the Natalia substation project forward.
“They used a prefab building that does not look like a prefab building,” Smith said. “It was very, very cost-effective.”
In other business, a report by Allegiance district chief Patrick Bourcier showed 194 ambulance calls in August, all of which were made in the contracted response time. Ambulances were dispatched for mutual aid assistance six times from Lytle and eight times from Moore.
No critical cases were involved in those mutual aid calls.
In a financial report, DuBose said the district currently shows a balance of $1.180 million with all accounts reconciled. Bills to be paid include $17,666 for the Allegiance contract. Also due is a $435 penalty issued by the Internal Revenue Service regarding missed payroll payments.
The penalty was linked to a past changeover from monthly to quarterly payments, DuBose said.
He also reported that ESD1 Chief Clint Cooke has intervened with Zoll Medical Devices to negotiate reduced payment on $2,738 owed for medical equipment. Another expense discussed was repairs to the ambulance station doors following a recent accident.
With regards to amendments to the 2024-2025 operating budget, DuBose reported that the district stands nearly $100,000 under budget for the period involved.
“We are way under budget so this doesn’t affect our bottom line but we do need to make the amendments for these expenses that were not accounted for,” DuBose said.