When a mobile home near Jo Ann Graham’s home caught on fire, she says it took 43 minutes before firefighters tried to put it out.
Firefighters from a nearby town arrived first — but their department apparently was not responsible for providing emergency services to that location. Graham said those firefighters stood back, “and waited 43 minutes until the Weston Fire Department was able to come.”
She said Weston is at least a 35-minute drive from where the mobile home caught on fire.
“We all know what traffic in Collin County is like,” Graham said.
Graham lives in an unincorporated area — outside any portion of Collin County that is annexed by a city or a town. Currently, Collin County pays cities and towns to have their fire department answer 911 calls in neighboring unincorporated areas.
But some cities are opting out of serving the unincorporated areas. The city of Melissa ended its contract with the county last October. Other cities in Collin County say they’ll follow Melissa’s lead. Fire and ambulance providers in rural Collin County say they need more funds to meet demand. But it could be years before that happens — and it needs voter approval.
And throughout the state, other communities are grappling with the same issue.
The Collin County Commissioners Court accepted a petition from Graham and Richard Hill, another unincorporated Collin County resident, with signatures from over 300 residents who live in the county’s unincorporated region at a recent meeting. The petition asks commissioners to call for an election to create an Emergency Services District for Collin County's unincorporated region.
Supporters of the Emergency Services District say it will fill the funding gap for services with tax dollars. But forming an Emergency Services District is a slow process that takes years and requires voter approval, which could leave the status quo in place for that period.
Unsustainable Model
Brandon Stacks is a firefighter who lives in unincorporated Collin County. Stacks told the commissioners’ court on Monday the current model isn’t sustainable.
“Dropped fire coverage response by Melissa Fire Department has left my livelihood to be left in the hands of a department with a 31-minute drive time — not response time — and a mutual aid agreement,” he said. “My family and the hundreds of others around me deserve better.”
Collin County has experienced rapid population growth, and Melissa is no exception. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city jumped from 13,901 residents in 2020 to 23,571 in 2023.
Melissa city manager Jason Little told KERA last fall the fire department couldn’t keep up with emergency calls in Melissa and in the unincorporated areas.
“We can’t be in two places at once,” Little said.
He said other towns are facing the same struggle.
“There's only a handful of us in northeast Collin County, and the unincorporated area is not getting smaller,” Little said.
Jason Brazil is the fire chief in Blue Ridge, a Collin County town with about 1,000 residents that’s less than two square miles in size. But his volunteer fire department serves 68 square miles of unincorporated county land. Brazil has told KERA the long distances his volunteer firefighters have to travel for county calls drives up fuel costs and adds wear and tear to the small town’s aging trucks.
“We’re almost subsidizing the county calls with city funds,” he said.
More money from the county would make a difference for Blue Ridge. Brazil said it could pay for much-needed new equipment or paid positions at the fire department. He said volunteers are burning out, which impacts the fire department’s ability to provide services.
It can take a while to get back to Blue Ridge from some of the unincorporated areas. That means Blue Ridge citizens may have to wait for help from their own fire department.
Billy Dunn, a volunteer firefighter in Blue Ridge, told KERA in September that every second counts in emergencies.
“Fifteen minutes could be the difference between just your kitchen being on fire and us being able to go and save the house, versus your whole house being on fire,” he said.
Slow Process
Determining the boundaries of the Emergency Services District will take time. The cities that would be asked to contract with the district to provide EMS and fire services have 60 days from receiving notice to let the county know if they’ll participate.
Commissioner Cheryl Williams pointed out during commissioners court recently that cities can opt out of providing services and say they don’t want their extraterritorial jurisdiction included in the Emergency Services District, leaving the region without any coverage. A city's extraterritorial jurisdiction is within a half-mile or five miles of a city or town's boundaries depending on population size according to Texas government code.
“It's hard to imagine why they would do that,” Williams said.
If a city did decide to have its extraterritorial jurisdiction opted out, homeowners in the area would have 45 days to file a petition with the city to be released from its extraterritorial jurisdiction, which could allow them to receive services from the Emergency Services District if it’s created. The 60 days started once the commissioners passed a resolution on the petition, giving cities until late April to decide. Homeowners would have 45 days afterward to file a petition to be removed from the extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The Collin County commissioners scheduled its public hearing on the petition for July 21. Depending on how that goes, the commissioners may call for an election in November. Then, it’s up to the voters if Collin County will have an Emergency Services District.
Tax Impact
Emergency Services Districts can levy a property tax of no more than $0.10 per $100 of a property’s value of homes in its jurisdiction according to the Texas Association of Fire and Emergency Districts. The district can also use sales tax revenue if the voters approve it or bill for services provided.
Commissioner Darrel Hale said it’s hard to determine at this point what the exact tax impact would be for homeowners.
“It really depends on what the actual amount of property is that's inside the district,” Hale said.
The commissioners adopted a resolution that outlined a set of principles for the potential Emergency Services District, including efforts to minimize costs. The standards called for the district to avoid double taxation of residents who live in municipal utility districts and to lower administrative costs to maximize spending on emergency services.
Service Gap
The district wouldn’t be able to collect property taxes until January 2027 if the voters approve it. Before then, the county commissioners would appoint five board members to manage the Emergency Services District. The board would adopt a budget for services in October 2026.
Graham urged the county commissioners to adequately fund emergency protections for the unincorporated areas in the interim while the Emergency Services District process is ongoing.
“We cannot again wait 43 minutes for the Weston Fire Department to respond to a house fire or a serious car accident east of Melissa,” she said.
Commissioner Susan Fletcher pointed out at Monday’s meeting that residents aren’t the only people who need emergency services in the unincorporated region.
“Who’s going to respond to someone who has an auto accident, regardless of where they live, when they’re travelling through those areas?” Fletcher asked.
Yoon Kim, the county administrator, said county staff will ensure that quality emergency services will continue in the county’s unincorporated region during the gap year based on the commissioners’ guidance.
“I can't tell you if there's going to be any increase or decrease or of that nature,” Kim told the commissioners. “That's not something we have looked into, but certainly we'll just make sure that excellent services are being led.”
The county included continued service during the interim as one of its principles for the Emergency Services District.
Brazil said last fall that Collin County has a budget of about $1 million for fire services in unincorporated areas. He said the county hasn’t increased the budget for fire services in the unincorporated areas in over a decade.
Jason Browning, the Collin County fire marshal, told KERA last fall there have been some additional funds to pay for things along the way, such as money for a new digital radio system. But for the most part, Browning said the county’s budget for fire services in unincorporated areas has stayed at $1 million, plus an another $1 million for ambulance services.
On its website about the Emergency Services District, the county said it would have to raise the tax rate above the voter-approval rate to pay for the amount the cities are requesting, which would require an election.
Browning said he’s seen a lot of population growth in Collin County in his 12-year tenure as fire marshal. He said that leads to an increase in demand for emergency aid.
“There’s budgetary concerns because as we’re growing, we can’t keep up with the tools we need for the services,” Browning said.
Statewide Issue
Denton County restructured how it approaches fire and emergency services in its unincorporated county areas last year. Over the next few years, the county will take a more active role in providing fire and EMS services in its unincorporated areas, redesignating it as the Denton County Emergency Response Area.
Denton County Commissioner Kevin Falconer said the county was blazing a trail with its approach to emergency services in unincorporated areas. Falconer said a state legislator he spoke with said Denton County was helping solve a statewide issue.
“At some point, the state or somebody is going to have to step in,” he said.
Brazil said Collin County should follow Denton’s example.
“What’s going on over there that they can afford it, but we can’t over here?” Brazil said. “Collin County is supposed to be one of the richest counties in Texas, but we’re not acting like it.”
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
