[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6499070,"mediaKeyId","5546122-367265e9247cbf7c81d0ac1546463934","parentId",5546122,"title","Council approves land purchase, awards engineering services and schedules tax and budget hearings","audioSeconds",5060,"startMs",178000,"endMs",5238000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546122-367265e9247cbf7c81d0ac1546463934&start=178&end=5238","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546122-367265e9247cbf7c81d0ac1546463934/thumbnail_178000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6499070/Port-Arthur-City/Jefferson-County/Texas/Council-approves-land-purchase-awards-engineering-services-and-schedules-tax-and-budget-hearings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6499070-60ec64b82d71a8f566725b15372a19c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770872837&Signature=jgVnfAHWsHm7zpfgl2KSeyJUE1qsKLItVliCv85G0dh7A00R-dCjfZ7QllUgb6KhiPy48eLPCAcnsmHYCI-wo~c6ZPqzGQtzkfW-RH1FpaR1Go77jZao-fc3mcWSh0TbE-~K-OANBm5EyIiZQzwBiAi9phMXevNWVQBcJjp6nS8n5i~dc6sVg4S~XCQtxKk6QBO4tRJTomGu9CJ0pDp92Yr2vb367ZRn8EFYgSQ7BoYs~dg4MuIVbkJTiQ8bYYuUL0ymvf8dcKHDT3RCVfFsCP46dOj~WJ2gNSQjj-4IlXBeGBtiXOaO4YjCvdmBRkahZEDAKAWETow9KFTXBN8Jqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Port Arthur","date","2025-08-07T00:00:00Z","article","Port Arthur City Council on Aug. 7 approved a set of resolutions and an ordinance covering right-of-way acquisition for a state traffic signal project, contracted engineering services for a drainage improvement, designated a tax-code compliance officer, and scheduled public hearings on the proposed 2025-26 tax rate and budget.

The most contested discussion concerned the Port Acres drainage engineering contract, where council members asked staff and the project lead detailed questions about design revisions, change orders and FEMA time extensions. Elsewhere, a local pastor spoke in favor of the council approving the small property purchase needed for the signal project.

What the council approved

- Resolution PR24427 — Property acquisition for traffic signal installation: The council authorized the city manager and city attorney to purchase a 0.0217-acre (944-square-foot) right-of-way at Procter Street and Ninth Avenue for $11,500 to support a TxDOT traffic-signal installation (capital project account 30721-049-8511-00-10-000, project CE0008). The motion was moved, seconded and the council approved by voice vote.

- Resolution PR24450 — Professional services agreement for Port Acres drainage improvements: The council authorized a professional services agreement with Arsenal Wilson & Co. LLC, of Port Arthur, Texas, in the amount of $266,850 for engineering and construction management services for the Port Acres subdivision drainage improvement project. Funding was stated as available in CDBG account number 148-00-000-8515-00-10-000, project DR1P03ENG. Councilmember Doucette pressed staff for background and design rationale; staff (Dr. Haney) explained a FEMA time-extension and site-specific design changes that had required redesign work and noted prior change orders to address unknown petrochemical pipelines. The motion carried by voice vote.

- Resolution PR24466 — Designation of tax-code compliance officer: Council approved naming the officer and employee responsible for compliance with section 26.04 of the Texas Tax Code. The resolution passed on a motion and second.

- Resolution PR24467 — Proposed tax rate: Council approved setting the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 tax rate, taking a record vote and scheduling a public hearing to receive comment on the proposed rate.

- Resolution PR24468 — Budget public hearing: Council called a public hearing to receive comment on the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget.

- Ordinance PO7355 — Appraisal rolls: Council approved the 2025 appraisal rolls and accepted tax assessor determinations under section 26.04 of the Texas Tax Code. The item was decided by roll-call vote; members recorded “yes” as reflected in the meeting transcript.

Public comment and staff clarification

Pastor Nichols of Breath of Life Ministries spoke in support of the ROW purchase at Procter and Ninth, describing the church’s multi-year investment in the neighborhood and its community services. “We offered housing, food, we served 67,000 hot meals out of our parking lot in 6 weeks time,” Nichols said, recounting post-Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Councilmember Doucette asked detailed questions about the Port Acres project’s design and prior change orders. Dr. Haney, who spoke for project staff, described a FEMA-mandated timeline that was later extended and explained that previously unknown petrochemical pipelines required abatement work; staff reported a value-engineering change order would reroute flow and upsize boxes to eliminate an estimated abatement cost of roughly $600,000 and return the project toward its original post-value-engineered budget (~$13.2 million as stated in the meeting).

Votes at a glance (recorded from transcript)

- PR24427 (ROW purchase, Procter & Ninth) — outcome: approved (voice vote). Votes: ayes recorded; no noes on the record.

- PR24450 (Arsenal Wilson & Co. LLC professional services, $266,850) — outcome: approved (voice vote). Votes: ayes recorded.

- PR24466 (Tax-code compliance officer) — outcome: approved (voice vote).

- PR24467 (Proposed tax rate & record vote/schedule hearing) — outcome: approved (voice vote).

- PR24468 (Budget hearing) — outcome: approved (voice vote).

- PO7355 (Ordinance approving 2025 appraisal rolls) — outcome: approved (roll-call vote). Roll call recorded: Councilmember Frank — yes; Councilmember Hamilton Everfield — yes; Councilmember Ken Long — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Dusett — yes; Mayor Moses — yes; (transcript indicates Councilmember Lewis later confirmed presence; votes recorded as yes during roll call).

Ending

Council approved the measures and moved on to a workshop on emergency medical services. Several items discussed at the meeting — notably the Port Acres drainage project redesign and the FEMA time-extension/change-order issues — were described by staff as continuing matters that would return to council for formal change orders or further updates.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Port Arthur - Special City Council","oneSentenceSummary","Port Arthur City Council unanimously approved a small ROW purchase for a TxDOT signal project, awarded an engineering and construction-management agreement for Port Acres drainage, approved tax-rate and budget hearing resolutions and adopted an ordinance receiving the 2025 appraisal rolls.","taxTitle","Port Arthur City, Jefferson County, Texas","taxId",5749,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6499074,"Port Arthur reviews EMS operations, response-time metrics and contract options",4105,1232000,5337000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546122-367265e9247cbf7c81d0ac1546463934&start=1232&end=5337","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546122-367265e9247cbf7c81d0ac1546463934/thumbnail_1232000.jpg","/articles/6499074/Port-Arthur-City/Jefferson-County/Texas/Port-Arthur-reviews-EMS-operations-response-time-metrics-and-contract-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6499074-359c6f4d65ca4f878ce73b569238faa6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770872837&Signature=lIjt6QI0NlbS6F6hOReJBz~fb0uKo4iMyHl~Q32kKqsl0h8XkLhY-vjhuXdljPIe~uILbN1hoyM~DGAB0t9wsPCsGdJZQDz8VvXY6qEe5l1hIh157kcI4fSvQa-gp-dABLtCyXgMuORQQ6PYJLmP~tNrW9I2gV4BKs-zlGIcB~webQsq4KVZJesQLK9c0LvlljOVS2IAL~ALbjPsVqC1Ioddm9DBPhnJvzgWoynWKL7iGktSRCsqKUXhUSj25a4kXGI0RbeyK~exIa-vDWNSBoUKPJKAfOXjf0QWsCzRPmbJ8y~c~jUL4d3hpjVgn5rzzYcIf0uE7OjTCSLm8N7lkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Port Arthur City Council on Aug. 7 heard a detailed workshop on emergency medical services that described how the city’s call-handling process and data systems affect published response-time figures and examined contract options ahead of the current provider’s November contract expiration.

The discussion, led by Marcin Nasoor, the assigned EMS battalion chief, and a representative of the current EMS provider, centered on three points: how the city’s public safety answering point (PSAP) and private ambulance dispatch processes start and record response-time clocks; whether response time alone is a sufficient measure of system performance; and operational options the council could consider, including colocating ambulances in fire stations and asking the city to run dispatch.

Nasoor told the council the Port Arthur Fire Department is a “first responder” organization with cross-trained personnel who begin care at many medical scenes before a transporting EMS unit assumes custody. He said more than half of the department’s call volume is EMS-related and urged the council to consider outcomes and clinical quality alongside response-time numbers. “Response time can be a useful tool,” Nasoor said. “It is not the whole picture.”

Why it matters: Council members said they want reliable, auditable data to measure contractor performance and to avoid incentivizing unsafe driving or other undesirable behaviors that can accompany an exclusive focus on clocks. The council also must address the expiring EMS contract while balancing cost, liability and patient access.

Key technical points raised

- Call start times and data ownership: Nasoor explained that 100% of 911 calls enter the city’s PSAP and the fire department’s response clock begins when the call is received there. The private transporting EMS provider receives the call after that transfer; because their dispatch clock begins when they receive the call, their reported response times can appear shorter or inconsistent compared with the fire department’s internal record. Nasoor described this as a “flaw” in how records are compared.

- NFPA standard and metrics: Nasoor referenced the nationally recognized standard NFPA 1710 (noting the transcript as NFPA 17 10) for response and turnout time obligations and said the city also uses ordinance benchmarks for turnout and response times. He argued for measuring patient outcomes, crew competency, protocol compliance and scene care quality in addition to raw travel times.

- Operational options and data merging: Council members asked whether the city could merge dispatch and ambulance CAD data or run dispatch directly. Nasoor and fire staff said technical and contractual work would be required and the ambulance provider would have to agree to some operational changes. Council members repeatedly requested a measurable timeline (30/90/180 days) for remedies.

Provider remarks and insurance

Andre, identified in the meeting as a representative of the city’s current EMS provider, told council the company accepts all insurance; whether a patient’s insurer treats the provider as in-network or out-of-network affects co-pay amounts. “We accept all insurance,” he said, and offered to discuss network status and billing issues in a sidebar with council members. Andre also said his organization supplies monthly CAD reports that include timestamps and that his organization can and has placed ambulances at fire stations if the city wishes such an arrangement.

Council concerns and next steps

Council members pressed several operational and policy points: that the city can adopt an ordinance to set local standards (so long as it does not conflict with state or federal law), that colocating ambulances at fire stations may reduce the apparent data gap, and that any change involving stationing ambulances at fire facilities raises insurance and liability questions that require further review. Chief Mitchell (Fire Department) confirmed that liability and insurance issues would need discussion and suggested an executive-session review with legal and risk staff.

Council directed staff to pursue follow-up work: produce an auditable timeline for potential fixes to data and dispatch integration, report options (including the feasibility and cost of the city running dispatch or colocating ambulances), and bring contract-extension/renewal options back to council. The city manager and city attorney were asked to advise on whether and how the current contract could be extended; meeting discussion indicated the current agreement cannot be extended past Nov. 30 without a procurement process.

Quotes

- “Response time can be a useful tool. It is not the whole picture,” Marcin Nasoor, assigned EMS battalion chief, said about measuring EMS performance.

- “We accept all insurance,” Andre, representative of the city’s current EMS provider, told council when asked about patients’ billing and network concerns.

- “We have to do better,” Councilmember Kinlaw said, describing constituent complaints that prompted prior policy changes.

Ending

Council did not take a contract vote at the workshop. The governing body asked staff to return with technical options, timelines and legal guidance, and it placed related items — including liability review for any stationing of provider ambulances in city facilities — on the agenda for further consideration and executive-session review.","City Council heard a lengthy workshop on emergency medical services that reviewed how 911 call handling and data collection affect response-time metrics, discussed contract timing and insurance coverage, and considered options including colocating ambulances at fire stations or running city EMS dispatch.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves land purchase, awards engineering services and schedules tax and budget hearings

Port Arthur reviews EMS operations, response-time metrics and contract options