Voters denied a Fulshear-area fire department's bid to collect sales tax revenue from within its boundaries, final unofficial results from Fort Bend County show.
What you need to know
Fort Bend County Emergency Services District No. 4, also known as the Fulshear-Simonton Fire Department, put a proposal on the ballot to collect up to 2% of sales tax from within its 106-square-mile service area. Results show 16,540 voters favored the entity collecting sales tax, while more voters—19,237—didn't.
The department wouldn't have been able to collect any sales tax revenue in areas of the county where the maximum sales tax is already being collected by other entities, such as within the city of Fulshear or other assistance and emergency districts.
Zooming in
ESD No. 4 officials said they sought the election because property tax revenue isn’t enough to keep up with future growth in its boundary, which includes about 120,000 residents. ESD No. 4 board President Ed Krenek previously said the sales tax revenue would help fund:
- Improved training capabilities with a new facility
- Operational costs, including staff
- Salary increases
Looking ahead
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Updated 10:45 p.m. Nov. 5
Unofficial Election Day results show the majority of votes counted thus far opposed the Fulshear-Simonton Fire Department's bid to collect sales tax revenue from within its boundaries.
In a nutshell
The state of Texas collects a 6.25% sales tax on every dollar spent on goods and some services, and entities have the ability to collect up to an additional 2% tax, with the total not to exceed 8.25% in any area, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The fire department, also known as Fort Bend County Emergency Services District No. 4, aimed to collect up to 2% of sales tax from purchases in its its 106-square-mile service area. The department wouldn't have been able to collect any sales tax revenue in areas of the county where the maximum sales tax is already being collected by other entities, such as within the city of Fulshear.
At the polls
As of 10:30 p.m., Fort Bend County data shows 17,707 individuals voted against Proposition A, while 15,065 voted for the measure.
What’s next
Community Impact will update this article Nov. 6 with more Election Day results. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
Posted 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5
Early voting results for the Nov. 5 election show voters aren't in favor of allowing a Fulshear-area fire department to collect sales tax to fund its future growth.
What you need to know
Fort Bend County Emergency Services District No. 4, also known as the Fulshear-Simonton Fire Department, put a proposal on the ballot to collect up to 2% of sales tax from within its 106-square-mile service area. Early voting results show 14,557 voters are in favor of the entity collecting sales tax, while 17,197 voters aren't.
The department provides services to the cities of Fulshear, Simonton and Weston Lakes, which includes about 120,000 residents, officials said.
Understanding the proposition
The state of Texas collects a 6.25% sales tax on every dollar spent on goods and some services, and entities have the ability to collect up to an additional 2% tax, with the total not to exceed 8.25% in any area, said Kevin Lyons, spokesperson for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The “yes” vote on the ESD’s Proposition A would have prevented other future governmental entities from seeking those funds in the future, officials said.
Digging deeper
ESD No. 4 officials said they sought the election because property tax revenue isn’t enough to keep up with the area’s future growth.
Demographic firm Population and Survey Analysts projected in a 2021 report 14,695 new housing units will join ESD No. 4’s boundaries between 2025-30. If each unit has three occupants, this equates to a growth of about 44,000 residents, district officials said.
If approved, ESD No. 4 board President Ed Krenek said the sales tax revenue would help fund:
- Improved training capabilities with a new facility
- Operational costs, including staff
- Salary increases
In the 12 days of early voting Oct. 21-Nov. 1, 297,649 voters—representing over 53% of registered voters—cast their ballots in Fort Bend County. This falls short of the 62% of voters who cast ballots in the last presidential election in November 2020, which had a longer early voting period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Texas Secretary of State Office’s website.
The polls closed at 7 p.m., but voters who were in line before closing will still be able to cast their ballots, per state law.
What’s next
Community Impact will update this article as more Election Day totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
