Emergency Services District 2 presented information to the Whitney City Council Thursday, January 15, amid ongoing discussions about the city possibly joining the district.
ESD 2 President Tad Duncan outlined the role of ESDs and the potential benefits for the City of Whitney during a presentation to the council.
Duncan said that emergency services districts were authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2003 as political subdivisions of the state, and Hill County voters approved the creation of two ESDs in 2004. ESD 1 oversees fire response, while ESD 2 is responsible for emergency medical services. ESD 2 covers all of Hill County except for the cities of Hillsboro and Whitney, which currently provide their own ambulance service.
ESD 2 is funded through a 3-cent property tax and a sales tax ranging from one-half to one cent, depending on location. Duncan noted that Whitney and Hillsboro do not currently pay the ESD 2 sales tax because both cities are already at the state sales tax cap.
Duncan said that ESD 2 contracts with CareFlite to provide both ground and air ambulance services. The district has built and owns ambulance stations in Hubbard, Itasca, Whitney and Hillsboro, which are leased back to CareFlite, and also maintains a 24-hour ambulance station at the Covington Volunteer Fire Department. A helipad is currently under construction along FM 67 at Woodrow between Covington and Blum, with plans to build a fully staffed ambulance station at that site.
In 2024 and 2025, ESD 2 purchased six ambulances, with two additional units on order for delivery in 2026. Duncan said the ambulances are owned by the district and leased to CareFlite and are equipped as mobile intensive care units staffed by paramedics. The district maintains five ambulances in service throughout the county, with one additional unit held in reserve.
Duncan also noted that a CareFlite helicopter is stationed on FM 933 in Whitney, and ESD 2 has an agreement with AirEvac, a member of the AirMedCare Network, whose helicopter is based north of Hillsboro along Interstate 35. AirEvac primarily serves the eastern portion of the county, with CareFlite and AirEvac providing backup for one another as needed.
Among the benefits of ESD 2 participation, Duncan said that property owners who pay the 3-cent tax receive a CareFlite Caring Heart membership. Under the program, residents are not billed for ground or air ambulance transport if they have insurance or Medicare. Patients without insurance are billed at half the standard rate. ESD 2 residents also receive membership coverage through the AirMed network, which eliminates billing if AirEvac is used due to CareFlite aircraft being unavailable.
Duncan said that the district’s ambulance deployment system allows units to shift coverage when one ambulance is on a call, preventing service gaps. He said that Whitney’s participation in ESD 2 would provide more seamless coverage for the western portion of the county and enhance emergency medical services within the city.
He also emphasized the importance of volunteer fire departments, noting they are often the first responders on the scene. Duncan said ESD 2 compensates certified volunteer fire departments for EMS calls they assist with, and that the Whitney Volunteer Fire Department is currently compensated for calls made outside city limits.
If Whitney were to join ESD 2, Duncan said that the city would no longer need to budget for ambulance service, as ESD 2 would provide the ambulances and CareFlite would supply staffing, allowing city funds currently allocated for ambulance service to be used elsewhere.
Whitney Emergency Services Director Robert Matthews acknowledged the benefits outlined by ESD 2 but raised concerns about revenue loss and response times if the city were to join the district. Matthews said that the city’s EMS department currently generates significant revenue and provides faster response times, with an average response of about five minutes, compared to longer average response times reported by CareFlite.
Matthews emphasized that Whitney maintains a dedicated ambulance within the city, while ESD 2 units may be reassigned throughout the county as demand shifts. He also stressed the importance of the city’s EMS personnel to the fire department, noting that most are also firefighters who assist with equipment checks, safety inspections, community outreach and fire response, making them a vital asset the city could not afford to lose.
Brant Stovall of CareFlite said that an ambulance would have to be stationed in Whitney if it joined the district. He said that trucks are moved based on call volume, but the rotation is arranged to ensure ambulances can respond within a reasonable amount of time. The average response time in the county is 13 minutes and 25 seconds, and CareFlite’s contract requires it to respond within 15 minutes. “I don’t think you’d ever have a 15-minute call time in the city,” said Duncan.
Stovall also said that any current EMS employees in the city who met requirements would be offered positions with CareFlite, as staff would be needed to cover the city.
For Whitney to join ESD 2, at least 50 registered voters would need to sign a petition, and then concurrent elections would be held in which city residents would vote for or against joining the district, and the rest of the district would have to vote to accept Whitney.
In other action, the council held a public hearing and voted to classify approximately 57 acres of land as single-family 1 zoning for the new East Lake Subdivision.
Departmental Reports
Whitney Police Department’s December report showed 268 total incidents, including 133 citations or warnings issued, 98 total traffic stops and five arrests. The department received 12 animal control calls and three code enforcement calls.
The fire department responded to 113 calls, including six fire calls in the city, five fire calls in the county, 56 first responder calls in the city and 46 first responder calls in the county.
EMS responded to 68 calls, including 62 in the city and six in the county as mutual aid for CareFlite. The average response time in the city was five minutes, and it was eight minutes in the county.
Public works addressed three water leaks and one sewer line repair in December. There was one water tap and one sewer tap in December. The department responded to seven total water calls and three sewer calls.
The library report showed nine new library cards issued in December and 1,052 total visitors for the month. There were 33 unique programs and events offered at the library with 286 individuals attending.
The council convened in executive session to discuss the city administrator position, but no action was taken when open session resumed.
The council will meet in a special session at 6 p.m. Thursday, January 22 to discuss: appointments to Whitney Housing Authority, a library operational and use agreement, a facility usage agreement with WWFL, zoning regulations for outdoor storage and sales, creation of a utilities board, wastewater treatment plant funding options and ordering a joint May election with Whitney ISD.
The Lakelander 