The Board of Directors of the Teague Hospital District has called an election to be held on May 1, 2021 for the purpose of increasing the car rate or maximum annual tax rate the District is allowed to charge from the current rate .05 per $100.00 evaluation to the maximum of .12 per $100.00 evaluation.
The primary purpose of the hospital tax is to provide ambulance service to the citizens of the District with qualified and experienced personnel through the Teague Hospital District / EMS.
Board President Jim Lawrence says that the Board of Directors have and plan to continue operating in a conservative manner and to keep any tax increase to a minimum. The Cap Rate increase does not mean that your taxes will go up to .12 per $100.00. This will only give the District flexibility if the tax base were to go down or to keep pace with government requirements. This flexibility will allow the Teague area to maintain an excellent ambulance service control and operated by local taxpayers of the District through a local Board of Directors.
The Teague Hospital District was established by the Texas Legislature and approved by the voters of the District in order to give financial support to the Teague General Hospital. This tax enabled the hospital to survive for several years but the hospital continued to struggle financially and the Teague General Hospital closed in 1988. The district had debt to the Federal Government that had to be paid and the tax base was the only source for repayment. The Board negotiated with the government to pay the debt by offering indigent healthcare to residents of the District. The District continues to offer indigent care on a limited basis to qualifying residents of the District.
This debt has been paid in full and the District is debt free.
The Hospital District / EMS is located at the corner of Hwy 84 and N. 8th Avenue. The District owns and maintains the old hospital building, the EMS building and adjacent land with the helipad. The District has leased a portion of the hospital building from time to time, but it is currently vacant.
The question comes up: Why am I paying a Hospital District tax when we don’t have a hospital?
The primary purpose of the hospital tax is to provide ambulance service to the citizens of the District with qualified and experienced personnel through the Teague Hospital District / EMS.
The District has three ambulances and responds to 911 calls and makes emergency and non-emergency transfers from area hospitals to larger facilities in Waco, Temple, Tyler, Dallas, Ft. Worth and other locations. The secondary reason for the District is for the upkeep, maintenance, and management of the District’s property. The EMS crews work closely with the Teague Volunteer Fire Department and also provide safety programs for the Teague Independent School District. They recently completed the CPR and Stop the Bleed training for the 2020-21 school year at the TISD.
The Hospital District assumed control of the ambulance service following financial difficulties at The Freestone Ambulance Service. The Board was approached by the City of Teague concerning the possibility of taking over the ambulance service for the Teague area. In 2002, the Teague Hospital District / EMS began offering ambulance service to Teague and the surrounding area.
The Teague Hospital District / EMS is staffed by well-trained, well-equipped and experienced personnel who are able to respond quickly and professionally to any emergency 24 hours a day.
The Board seeks your support and a vote “For” the increase on May 1, 2021. This voter “For” will allow the Teague Hospital District / EMS to continue to provide ambulance service to residents of the area for many years to come.
