1. Highland Village to provide ambulance, fire protection services to unincorporated Denton County
Residents in unincorporated areas of Denton County will receive ambulance and fire protection services from the city of Highland Village for the next two fiscal years.
Highland Village City Council members unanimously approved an agreement at an Aug. 26 meeting.
The specifics
The city will provide services to unincorporated areas of Denton County from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2027, according to city documents.
City Secretary Angela Miller said the city and county have had similar agreements in the past, and the contract is usually renewed annually.
The cost
Denton County will pay the city of Highland Village a total of $37,435 for fire calls and ambulance transports during the duration of the agreement, according to city documents.
The city will receive:
- $18,441 for fiscal year 2025-26
- $18,994 for fiscal year 2026-27
The city of Highland Village’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26 totals $67.2 million, which includes expenditures for general operations, public safety and streets.
The proposed tax rate of $0.500984 per $100 of assessed value is an increase from the FY 2024-25 tax rate of $0.500273. Council can choose to adopt a lower tax rate, but it cannot be higher than the proposed rate.
City staff will receive feedback from residents and vote on the proposed budget and tax rate at a Sept. 9 meeting.
Breaking down the budget
The city is projecting $41.58 million in revenue from property tax, sales tax and other fees and grants.
The city’s projected revenue for the general fund totals $22.9 million, which is a 0.2% increase from last year, according to city documents.
The city expects to spend $26.2 million from the general fund in expenditures, which is a 5.8% increase from FY 2024-25.
Of the $26.2 million:
- $7.03 million is budgeted for the police department
- $4.41 million is allocated for the fire department
- $3.18 million is budgeted for building/fleet maintenance
- $2.68 is budgeted for parks
- $2.29 million is designated for streets
CoServ Gas applied for an interim rate adjustment, which would raise residents’ monthly gas bills by $3.33. However, Highland Village City Council members unanimously approved suspending the adjustment at an Aug. 12 meeting.
This action suspends the effective date of the increase by 45 days to provide time to review the proposed increase, analyze all necessary information and take appropriate action, according to city documents.
What it means
The rate increase was originally scheduled to go into effect Sept. 17. Pending approval from the Railroad Commission of Texas, CoServ has deferred the effective date to Jan. 1, 2026, said Nicholas Sakelaris, a communications specialist for CoServ, in an email.
City Manager Paul Stevens said the 45 days allow the city to work with a third-party company to assess whether or not the increase in rates is necessary.
