People needing an ambulance in Delta communities such as Elsa have to wait while as they are far from a hospital, or even a standalone E.R.

“The turnaround time for an ambulance from when they actually pick up a patient, transport them to the hospital, and then come back to this area can take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours plus,” Hidalgo County Emergency Service District #2 Chief Bryan Hathorn said.

Elsa, along with Edcouch, La Villa, La Blanca, Monte Alto and rural Mercedes, rely on Skyline Ambulance Services. Those communities are also part of Hidalgo County Emergency Service District #2.

Voters in the Delta area are being asked if they want to pay more taxes to create an ambulance service close to home.

Proposition 1 on the ballot would increase the tax rate to 10 cents per $100 property valuation.

All other emergency service districts in Hidalgo County are only asking for a tax increase.

Over the past two years, the Hidalgo County Emergency Service District #2 has spent over $400,000 to build its own ambulance service.

Two ambulances were purchased, along with medical equipment. A medical director and a chief of operations were also hired.

Hathorn said if voters approve the tax increase, the district hopes to recoup what they spent and provide service close to home.

Elsa Mayor Alonzo Perez said he doesn’t agree with the plan.

“To me, the Delta area is a high poverty area. There’s not a lot of people that can afford more taxes,” Perez said.

Perez added that he doesn’t agree on how the emergency service district has spent its funds.

According to the district, $900,000 is spent to pay Skyline EMS per year, and the district only gets $300,000 dollars from property owners. Hidalgo County helps pick-up part of the tab with $600,000 a year from federal pandemic related funding set to end at the end of 2026.

Perez said the city of Elsa should consider getting its own EMS service.

According to Hathorn, if voters are against the proposition, “[we] could potentially still operate. Maybe one ambulance, or maybe sell off the equipment to try to recoup some of the money that was spent."

Early voting ends on Tuesday, April 29.

Election day is Saturday, May 3.

Watch the video above for the full story.