Pflugerville Debates Fire Protection Levels

There’s an ongoing dispute in and around Pflugerville about how much fire and emergency services protection the area wants, and how much it’s willing to pay. The firefighters local wants to meet a number of national standards for service levels.

“We’re just trying to meet those standards and possibly exceed them,” said firefighters association spokesman Trevor Stokes. “We’re not doing that currently.”

Meeting those standards would cost money. Firefighters want to create a new taxing district to raise the money. But the Pflugerville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night not to put the issue to voters.

Council member Brad Marshall says Pflugerville has methodically lowered its property tax rates and does not want to raise taxes again. He says the city is already getting the fire and emergency services it needs.

“I don’t think there’s any complaints by the council that the current service of the ESD 2 is somehow subpar,” Marshall said. “We think it’s a very good service of the price that we’re paying.”

The proposed tax district would include many areas around Pflugerville and Austin’s Wells Branch community. Residents in those places, which are outside the city limits, may have a chance to vote on the proposals.