Collin County residents in rural areas sometimes struggle to get fire and ambulance services — an issue for rural residents across Texas. Some voters in Collin County will have an opportunity to weigh in on a potential solution in November.
County commissioners called for an election on creating an Emergency Services District at a recent meeting. If passed, the ESD would levy a tax rate to pay for fire and ambulance services in the county's unincorporated areas that aren’t annexed into a city or town.
Richard Hill said there will be dire consequences if the ESD fails to pass. Hill lives in unincorporated Collin County and helped form the petition to call for an ESD election.
“The lives of men, women and children will be at risk if this proposition fails,” he said. “Homes and other structures will burn to the ground without fire protection. Insurance companies will raise insurance premiums exponentially and possibly cancel homeowner coverage.”
Currently, Collin County pays cities and towns to have their fire department answer 911 calls in neighboring unincorporated areas. Some cities are opting out of serving the unincorporated areas, saying they need more funds to meet the demand for services.
County administrator Yoon Kim said the ESD would increase funding. The county currently spends $950,000 on fire services for the unincorporated areas.
“This is a tenfold increase to provide the fire protection,” Kim said.
The following cities opted to have their coverage areas included in the ESD. The town of New Hope also requested to include its city limits in the district.
- Blue Ridge
- Celina
- Farmersville
- Fate
- Josephine
- Lavon
- Lowry Crossing
- McKinney
- Melissa
- Murphy
- Nevada
- New Hope
- Parker
- Princeton
- Royse City
- Weston
- Wylie
Other cities didn’t consent to have their coverage area included in the district or didn’t respond when the county reached out about the ESD.
- Garland
- Allen
- Anna
- Fairview
- Frisco
- Hebron
- Lucas
- St. Paul
- Trenton
- Van Alstyne
Supporters of the Emergency Services District say it will fill the funding gap for services with tax dollars. Emergency Services Districts can levy a property tax rate on homes in the district’s service area 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.
But forming an Emergency Services District is a slow process. If Collin County voters approve the district the county commissioners would appoint board members who would manage the district and levy and collect taxes. Kim said it would take at least a year before services could begin.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill said he wants to maintain coverage in the meantime.
“Everyone who lives the county drives through it at some point or visits the unincorporated part of county at some points,” Hill said. “We just never know when we're going to need a first responder to come and help us. And it benefits everyone to know that we have county-wide coverage that's seamless.”
But he said it’s not just the county’s decision. Cities who contract with the county would have to agree to continue answering 911 calls in the unincorporated areas at the current funding level until the ESD is formed. McKinney, which had previously opted out of serving the unincorporated areas, committed to continuing coverage until Oct. 1, 2026.
Hill said if voters don’t approve the district, the county is willing to continue funding services at its current budget. But he said cities might not agree to that.
“I'm just guessing that if they know, those city councils, if they that there's not going to be any new funding coming, then they may go ahead and take early action,” he said. “Because I think the reason they're really holding on is because they know that this conversation is happening in good faith. And they know there's the chance for more funding in the future.”
Only voters who live in the proposed ESD’s jurisdiction can vote in the Nov. 4 election.
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