Voters in Hidalgo County Precinct 3 approved a new tax to help them create an emergency service district.

The votes were recently certified.

The district is expected to help residents such as Francisco Martinez. For him, seconds matter when he needs an ambulance 

“Sometimes they don't come very fast,” Martinez said.

Martinez doesn't have his own vehicle, and he said he recently had an emergency that required an ambulance.

Hidalgo County is paying for a contract with a private ambulance company that cost $70,000 per year.

“Precinct three is the only precinct in Hidalgo County that does not have an emergency services district, and we desperately needed one,” Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Commissioner Everardo "Ever" Villarreal said. “Now that voters have approved the creation of the districts, the precinct will appoint a board to oversee it.”

Those members will manage hiring and purchasing equipment, but Villarreal said that won't start right away. 

“We're gonna have to outsource while we save enough money to be able to have a building and equipment,” Villarreal said.

Villarreal said he expects to renew that private contract through at least 2026.

Homeowners will start paying for the new tax line in January 2026. 

 The new services will come with a price, but it's expected to be cheaper for the county as a whole.

“There's no price that you put on the life of our children, our mothers and grandparents,” Villarreal said.

The emergency district could be up and running by early 2027.  

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