ARANSAS PASS, Texas — The 911 call response areas have changed for some area that had once been annexed by the City of Aransas Pass.
According to Aransas Pass Chief of Police Eric Blanchard,the city recently settled a lawsuit by de-annexing Phase 1, 2, and 3 annexations from 2019.
"As a result, these areas previously serviced by police, fire, and EMS have fallen outside of the City’s jurisdiction," says Blanchard. "This means, calls for police, fire, and EMS will now be referred to the respective county government, Aransas County or San Patricio County."
Aransas Pass City Limits 9142021 by Ryan Garza on Scribd
Blanchard says the officials are working to update the public safety call system to better streamline 911 referrals to the proper area and that pending criminal investigation will be handled by the respective Sheriff's department.
The department has provided a breakdown of over 1,000 public safety service calls to give citizens an idea of what kind of calls they have responded to since the de-annexation.
The State of Texas filed suit against Aransas Pass alleging deficiencies with the city's annexation efforts in 2019.
According to the terms of a settlement agreement, the city will pay the state $750,000 in attorney's fees and $65,000 in costs by December.
The settlement also void's the city's annexation of approximately 21,000 acres from its Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction from 2019, according to a news release from the Aransas County Attorney's Office.
