Under scrutiny
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The safety commissioners responsible for 911 service between Tomball and Spring meet tomorrow morning at 9:00 am under the cloud of a federal investigation.
The records of five Emergency Services District (ESD) #11 Commissioners are among those already subpoenaed in an FBI investigation. They have been told to turn records over to a federal grand jury on February 24, 2016.
The FBI doesn’t publicly comment on investigations, but the ESD Commissioners have been the subject of an ethics complaint accusing them of getting political funding from a group linked with Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services (CCEMS).
CCEMS has the 911 contract for four hundred thousand Harris County residents, and the ESD Commissioners are elected to watchdog the contract and the choice of ambulance contractor.
In 2014, a group called Friends of Cypress Creek EMS with a logo almost identical to CCEMS, took out ads and secured endorsements for incumbent ESD Commissioners. The organization was not registered as a corporation, or a political action committee, and CCEMS Director Brad England has refused to identify the members or his role in helping create the organization.
England’s entertainment expenses include numerous steak dinners with Friends of Cypress Creek EMS. Those records also do not identify who were the beneficiaries of CCEMS Entertainment.
Why is this so important to taxpayers?
ESD #11 has allowed CCEMS to keep total control of all the medical bills generated from taxpayer supported 911 service, while billing taxpayers an additional 10 million dollars in property tax funds.
The ESD has also refused to force CCEMS to detail who receives taxpayer funds, including who is on the payroll of the ambulance service.
The ESD has taken no action while CCEMS spends money that could have been used for bandages and medical equipment in litigation to keep financial records secret.
CCEMS has been charged with a crime for refusing to provide financial records by the Harris County District Attorney and has filed three lawsuits against the Texas Attorney General to keep financial records secret.
The ESD Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7111 Five Forks.
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