Ambulance response times could be getting a lot longer in western Hidalgo County after Pharr EMS, the ambulance company that serves the area, announced it's ending its contracts with cities.

Last month, the city of Pharr's EMS service sent a letter to several cities like La Joya, Peñitas, Sullivan City and the office of Hidalgo County Precinct 3 that announced ambulance services would be cut.

“A lot of our residents don't pay for their ambulance service, and that's what causing the interruption,” Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Commissioner Everardo Villarreal said.

The city of Pharr said they are not getting enough subsidies from cities contracted with the EMS service that are used to pay for patients unable to pay their bill.

The cities have until Thursday, Sept. 22, to choose between paying Pharr EMS $1.7 million, or up to $2.3 million every year or every three quarters of every year.

If cities in those areas do not make a decision by then, they could be left without their own ambulance services. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article inaccurately stated the city of Palmview received a letter from Pharr EMS stating it would end ambulance services. The city of Palmview will not be affected by Pharr EMS services.