Collin County’s commissioners unanimously approved calling for the election at a July 28 meeting, roughly six months after the county judge received a petition calling for the creation of Emergency Services District No. 1, or the ESD.
If approved, the created district would have an associated property tax that would be used to fund fire protection and ambulance services to residents within the district’s boundaries.
The gist
An ESD is the mechanism created by the Texas Legislature to provide fire protection and ambulance service in the unincorporated areas of the county, according to Collin County’s website.
Currently, there are over 350 ESDs in Texas, and they provide fire protection and ambulance service in the unincorporated areas of counties, whether by contracting for services with city fire departments or by creating their own fire departments, according to the county.
Rather than operating its own fire department or ambulance service, the emergency response services funded by the proposed ESD would be provided through contracts with cities and volunteer fire departments, the county’s website states.
The current situation
Collin County cities and towns with unincorporated areas are currently providing emergency services to those areas, which is partially funded through the county. The county budget includes about $2 million annually to contribute to the costs of fire and ambulance services, although counties are not required by state law to provide emergency services in unincorporated areas.
County Judge Chris Hill said that the current fire services contract between the county and 21 firefighting agencies is renewed annually, with agencies being allowed to leave the agreement with 30-days notice. In October 2024, officials from three municipalities including McKinney, notified county officials of their intention to leave the contract in a year, citing the need for more funding, Hill said. This later sparked the creation of a petition for the establishment of the ESD, which prompted officials with affected municipalities to either opt in or opt out for inclusion of their extraterritorial jurisdiction in the proposed district.
Following collaboration between county officials and various city representatives, McKinney officials have agreed to retract their letter and are recommitted to staying in the services agreement until October 2026, Hill said. He also noted that county officials are still working with other municipalities that declared their intent to leave the agreement on a path forward.
The goal of retaining city participation in that partnership is to avoid a gap in emergency services, Hill said, which could be caused if a city stops providing services to an unincorporated area before an ESD is created.
“Our objective is to have no gap,” Hill said. “We don’t get to just do that ourselves, we can’t make that come to pass because there’s so many other partners involved. Each of the partnering fire departments have a say in that, you have a say in that as you vote for the ESD ... our goal as a body is to see seamless coverage countywide without a gap.”
The impact
The proposition for the creation of the ESD will be on the ballot of any Collin County resident in the unincorporated areas of cities that opted in for the program. If a city opted in and the ESD passes in November, it would create a property tax for residents in that unincorporated area that will enable them to have access to emergency services.
If a town opted out and the ESD passes, residents in the unincorporated areas will not receive services from the county because it will not be considered part of the emergency district. The city would also not receive funding. The city could choose to service those areas without county funding though it will not be required to.
Cities whose officials opted in to participation in the district include:
- Blue Ridge
- Celina
- Farmersville
- Fate
- Josephine
- Lavon
- Lowry Crossing
- McKinney
- Melissa
- Murphy
- New Hope, including the entire city limits
- Nevada
- Parker
- Princeton
- Prosper
- Royse City
- Weston
- Wylie
- Allen
- Anna
- Fairview
- Frisco
- Garland
- Hebron
- Lucas
- St. Paul
- Trenton
- Van Alstyne
If the proposed ESD is approved by the voters, the district’s first fiscal year and associated contracted services would begin Oct. 1, 2026.
County commissioners would be responsible for appointing a five-person board of commissioners for the district, made up of individuals who own land in the district. The commissioners would also set the initial tax rate for the district, which will be no more than $0.10 per $100 in assessed value, but the appointed board will set subsequent tax rates and determine annual budgets, the county’s website states.
Collin County Administrator Yoon Kim said in a presentation at the July 28 meeting that initial estimates show that, at a $0.10 tax rate, the annual tax revenue for the district would amount to about $9.5 million.
County Commissioner Cheryl Williams also noted that residents within the proposed district that live in a Municipal Utility District, or MUD, would not be subject to the ESD tax to avoid double taxation due to existing agreements for fire service. She noted that the ESD could potentially take over the existing contract for fire service in that MUD or reimburse the MUD for those costs as a solution for emergency services in those areas.
Hill said in the event that the ESD fails, he would be supportive of continuing to invest the amount that county officials currently budget to provide the service, but noted that firefighting agencies and municipalities may not continue to accept that funding if they have already identified insufficient funds for the service.
For more information on the proposed ESD, visit Collin County’s website.
