Hardin County holds workshop on new state rural ambulance grant, will decide whether to sponsor an ESD application

Hardin County Commissioners Court convened a public workshop on Dec. 9 to review the state’s new rural ambulance service grant program established under House Bill 3000 and to solicit interest from local Emergency Services Districts and fire departments in applying for funding.

The county’s emergency-management staff, led by Aaron Tucker, described the Comptroller of Public Accounts as the grant administrator and said the application window opens Jan. 1, 2026. "The application opens 01/01/2026," Tucker said. He and the judge warned that proposed rules remain subject to change while the comment period is open.

The grant as described in draft materials would fund ambulance purchases and upfitting; county officials and attendees repeatedly emphasized the program appears focused on vehicles. County leadership read the proposed eligibility language aloud: the program defines a "qualified rural ambulance service provider" as "a private safety entity or public agency... licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services to provide emergency medical services and operating in a qualified county," citing Health and Safety Code language in the proposed rule.

Local ESD leaders and chiefs told the court many small ESDs in Hardin County are not currently DSHS-licensed ambulance providers and thus may not qualify under the draft rule. "If you’re not currently running the ambulance, then you don't qualify," one ESD representative said; another estimated it takes about "6 months" to obtain a DSHS service license because of required inspections, medical director and staffing plans.

Speakers also discussed operational realities and costs. Commissioners and chiefs gave purchase and upfit estimates: a new chassis and box at roughly $300,000–$350,000 and another $100,000 or so to upfit equipment and supplies, producing a practical total approaching $450,000–$500,000. "You have about 500,000 total to buy an ambulance and have it ready to hit the road," one participant said. County officials noted draft guidance referenced different award amounts by county size in early materials: $500,000 for smaller counties and $350,000 for those in a larger bracket, but they cautioned the final rule could change those amounts.

The court and attendees discussed program mechanics, including whether awards are competitive statewide and how a county would identify and sponsor a qualifying provider. County Judge advised that the county must name the provider it intends to sponsor in the application and that counties may submit one application per year; only one qualified service provider per county may receive funding in a given year under the draft rule.

No formal vote was taken. The court directed staff to monitor the Comptroller’s final rule publication and proposed to return a decision to the regular meeting on Dec. 23 or the first meeting in January so a county application could be filed early in the January cycle if the court chooses to sponsor a provider.

What happens next: county staff will track the Comptroller’s final rule, gather documentation from potentially eligible ESDs and providers, and present a recommendation to the commissioners at the next regular meeting. If the court decides to sponsor an ESD or provider, the judge said he would file the application once materials are in order.