Pflugerville is officially breaking up with its private ambulance provider and getting back together with its fire department. On Wednesday, the City Council voted to move the city’s emergency ambulance service from private contractor Allegiance Mobile Health to Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2, which runs the Pflugerville Fire Department. The six-year interlocal agreement is set to kick in on Oct. 1, 2026, putting ambulance transport under a local public agency instead of a for-profit company. City leaders said the shift is about tightening clinical oversight and response by keeping EMS in public hands and closer to home.
What the agreement says
Under the interlocal deal, Pflugerville will pay roughly $1.9 million a year in each of the first two years, with contract language calling for 2.5% annual increases after that, according to KXAN. The council also signed off on companion agreements with Travis County that include a one-time $600,000 grant to help cover transition costs, per agenda materials on Legistar. Council members said those funding details and clear oversight rules were key reasons they opted to put ambulance services under ESD No. 2.
ESD No. 2 steps in
Travis County ESD No. 2, which operates as the Pflugerville Fire Department, said it is ready to keep delivering reliable fire and emergency medical services as the city hands over ambulance operations, according to Travis County ESD No. 2. The district’s site lays out the financial strain it has been under and the options its board weighed while considering a return to full transport service inside city limits. District leaders say a fire-based transport model can help shave precious minutes off response times by sending paramedics out from existing fire stations instead of relying on a separate provider.
How we got here
Pflugerville turned to Allegiance Mobile Health after a carousel of contract changes that followed Acadian’s exit, and the city has been sorting through EMS options since 2021, according to city records and local reporting. Community Impact reported on the 2022 agreement that brought Allegiance on board and later tracked negotiations with ESD No. 2 and Travis County officials. For many council members, moving to a public provider came down to long-term worries about ambulance availability, direct oversight and the city’s ability to monitor clinical performance over time.
What residents should expect
The handoff is not happening overnight. The change is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026, and officials say Allegiance will keep running ambulances until then while ESD No. 2 gears up crews and vehicles. City materials indicate the county’s $600,000 grant should help blunt the initial cost jump so residents do not immediately see a tax increase tied to the move, even though the agreement builds in multi-year cost escalators that staff will keep an eye on. Those details are posted on Legistar. Officials are telling residents to keep calling 9-1-1 for emergencies as usual and say they will roll out more information on the city and district websites as the transition plan gets locked in.
