Collin County residents to consider creation of Emergency Services District on November ballot

“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

Cities whose officials opted out of participation in the district include:

• Allen
• Anna
• Fairview
• Frisco
• Garland
• Hebron
• Lucas
• St. Paul
• Trenton
• Van Alstyne

The city of Plano was not applicable in the choice to opt in or out because there is no extraterritorial jurisdiction within the city’s limits. To determine if a property is located within the proposed ESD, visit the county's website.

Looking ahead

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.