By Roger Croteau
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2007 San Antonio Express-News
All Rights Reserved
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — The cost of ambulance and fire service in the rural areas of Comal County is rising quickly as new suburbs put new strains on the system.
To meet the skyrocketing demand, the emergency service districts that cover most of the county are raising their property tax rates by as much as 187 percent this year.
Because the districts started with low rates, often around 2 cents per $100 of taxable value, the percentage jump is striking. But while the tax increases are large enough to allow rollback elections that could cap them at 8 percent, no rollback efforts have emerged.
Emergency Services District No. 1, which covers the Spring Branch area, has adopted a tax rate of 5.75 cents per $100 of taxable value for next year, up from this year’s 2-cent rate. The increase means the owner of a home valued at $150,000 will pay $86.25 in ESD taxes, up from $30 this year, assuming the appraisal on the home didn’t change.
District voters in May approved raising its tax rate cap from 2 cents per $100 to 10 cents per $100.
The growth of new subdivisions in the area means the district has to beef up its services, said Jay Wetz, its board president.
“We are planning two new stations, one immediately, and the other right behind it,” Wetz said. “So we are also looking at an extra crew now and another when the second station is built. We also have a lot of miles on our ambulances, so we have to start planning to replace those.”
Comal County ESD No. 2, which provides ambulance service in the Canyon Lake area, is raising its tax rate 18 percent over the effective rate, the rate that would bring in the same revenue it raised this year.
But thanks to rising appraisals of taxable property, the new rate of 2 cents per $100 of taxable value is only a fraction of a penny higher than the old rate.
“Our biggest thing is salaries,” said Jerry Newton, president of the ESD No. 2 board. “We are now spending $26,500 a month in salaries.”
ESD No. 3 provides both fire and ambulance service in an area centered around Fischer. Its tax rate is jumping 104 percent above the effective tax rate, to 5.5 cents per $100, board president Keith Lewis said.
“Our rate is going up 2.5 cents,” Lewis said. “One cent is going to service the mortgage on a fire station we hope to build, and we need six more shift people.”
The new station and workers are needed to help meet the goal of maintaining an average 8-minute response to calls, he said.
“The system is stretched,” Lewis said, pointing to recent occasions when several calls came in close together. “We are trying to stay ahead of the increased demand being placed on us. People move here ... and they expect to receive the same level of service they received in a large urban area.”
Similar pressure is on ESD No. 5, which provides fire service in the Bulverde area and is considering boosting its property tax rate by 46 percent, to 7.9 cents per $100.
“We’ve got to increase our staffing,” said Kevin Lanahan, president of the ESD board. “Now, we only have two full-time firefighters. This will get us to four around the clock. We are seeing an increase in call volume and fewer volunteer hours.”
The district is planning a 64 percent budget increase, to $779,000 next year.
“Most of the people we get feedback from, it’s been positive,” Lanahan said. “But I’ve heard rumors there is a group that is going to oppose it.”
Of Comal County’s two other districts, No. 4, which provides fire service to Spring Branch, is keeping the same tax rate, and No. 6, which provides fire service in the Garden Ridge area, is cutting it slightly, respectively.
While emergency districts put a relatively small dollar figure on most residents’ tax bills, the trend is clear and troubling, County Commissioner Jay Millikin said.
While he understands the increasing demands for fire and ambulance service, he said he worries about the Legislature’s reaction to seeing tax boost percentages in double and triple digits.
“I spend a lot of time in Austin, and I know what they are looking at,” Millikin said. “I’m afraid it will add even more momentum to the push for appraisal caps and revenue caps for local governments, and I don’t want that to happen.”
Millikin said counties need the power to levy impact fees on new developments.
“I’d love to put some of the responsibility to pay for the increased demand for services on developers, where it ought to be,” he said. “It’s just to be fair, not to retard growth. ... But I’ve been going to the Legislature for five sessions and I’ve seen no progress toward allowing counties to levy impact fees.”