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Commissioners direct staff to craft new EMS pay scale for StarFlight after market study gaps
Summary
Commissioners authorized creation of a county EMS pay scale tied to Austin Travis County EMS pay and directed staff to return within 30–60 days with funding proposals to address recruitment and retention at StarFlight.
The Commissioners Court on April 29 directed county emergency services, Human Resources and the budget office to develop a new EMS-specific pay scale aimed at narrowing compensation gaps at StarFlight and related emergency medical programs.
County executives told the court the Segal market study could not find true local comparators for StarFlight because the program’s combination of air medical, critical-care transport, hoist/rescue and aerial firefighting duties is unique in Texas. Emergency Services Executive Chuck Brotherton said the county would “index the pay scale to Austin Travis County EMS's pay scale” and add premiums for StarFlight’s pilots, nurses and paramedics to reflect additional certification and duties.
Officials outlined operational consequences behind the request: falling application volumes, candidates dropping out after seeing offers, and retention pressure on nurses, pilots, mechanics and paramedics. Brotherton described StarFlight qualifications that raise the county’s labor cost — critical-care paramedic certification, hoist/air-rescue qualifications within months of hire and a requirement that paramedics have five years of ALS field experience before hire — and said those requirements make direct market comparisons difficult.
The court approved a motion directing staff to create the EMS pay scale and return with funding options in 30–60 days; commissioners added a legislative‑intent caveat that the action was not pre‑approval of a specific dollar amount. Commissioner Shea moved; Commissioner Gomez seconded. The vote passed unanimously.
County officials said the intent is to avoid higher vacancy rates and persistent overtime costs by addressing recruitment and retention mid‑year if feasible, rather than waiting for the FY2026 budget. StarFlight leaders said they would prefer a mid‑year implementation if funding can be found and that they would work with HRMD and PBO on a final proposal.
