Why did Collin County receive an ESD petition?

Texas law does not require a County to provide fire and ambulance service to the unincorporated areas, but Collin County Commissioners Court has provided this service for decades. The Collin County Commissioners Court currently contracts with municipal and volunteer fire departments to provide fire protection service to the unincorporated area of Collin County. This is because the County does not have its own fire department. The County budgets approximately $2,000,000 for fire protection and ambulance services in the unincorporated area.

On October 27, 2023, Collin County received a letter from the City of Melissa that as of October 1, 2024, that they would be terminating their agreement with Collin County to provide fire protection in their fire district (see fire district map​). On September 30, 2024, the City of McKinney sent the County a letter that they would terminate the fire contract with the County effective October 1, 2025.  Finally, the City of Farmersville sent the County a letter stating that they would terminate the fire protection agreement also effective October 1, 2025. 

These letters led to a presentation in Commissioners Court on November 11, 2024 discussing options for fire service in the unincorporated area of Collin County.  The presentation focused on the increasing cost of fire protection and emergency services and the various funding mechanisms available. 

With the cities terminating the fire protection agreements with the County, citizens took it upon themselves to utilize the mechanism created by the legislature to provide for emergency services.   

What is an ESD?

An ESD is the mechanism created by the Texas Legislature to provide fire protection and ambulance service in the unincorporated areas of the county.  A property tax is levied only on those citizens within the ESD to provide the services to those who pay the ESD tax.  Currently, there are over 350 ESDs in the state, and they effectively 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.

Who can create an ESD?

ESDs are, at their core, grassroots organizations. The citizens, at their discretion, create ESDs.  The qualified voters within a proposed ESD gather signatures and submit a valid petition with the County Judge requesting the creation of the ESD.  The petition is accepted by the Commissioners Court, a public hearing is held, and the county orders an election.  The voters within the proposed district ultimately decide whether or not the ESD is created.​

​ESD Creation Process

On February 24, 2025, the Collin County Commissioners Court accepted the filed ESD petition.  A public hearing is set for Monday, July 21, 2025. The County has sent notices, as required by Chapter 775, Tex. Health and Safety Code, to cities notifying them of the ESD petition and that their city councils must consent in writing to either include or exclude their extraterritorial jurisdiction within in the ESD.

The following cities have been notified of the petition and to obtain municipal consent:  Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge, Celina, Fairview, Farmersville, Fate, Frisco, Garland, Hebron, Josephine, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada, New Hope, Parker, Plano, Princeton, Prosper, Royse City, St. Paul, Trenton, Van Alstyne, Weston, and Wylie.

The cities have sixty (60) days from the date of receipt of the notice to include or exclude their ETJ in the proposed ESD.  At the public hearing on July 21, 2025, the Collin County Commissioners Court will determine which ETJs have been included or excluded and set the boundaries of the ESD.  The Commissioners Court would then make a finding, based on each municipalities consent or exclusion of their ETJ, whether or not the creation of the ESD is "feasible and will promote the public safety, welfare, health, and convenience of persons residing in the proposed district."  If the Commissioners Court determines that the ESD is feasible and will serve the purpose as set out in the petition, then an election will called for November 4, 2025.

Timeline

Next Steps for Citizens in the unincorporated area

County citizens who reside in the unincorporated area of Collin County outside of ETJs do not need to take any further action other than: 1) attending the public hearing on Monday, July 21, 2025 to make public comments and 2) voting for or against the ESD on November 4, 2025.

​County citizens who reside in an ETJ that has been excluded by the controlling city has the decision to appeal to the city for fire protection and ambulance services OR opt-out of the ETJ no later than 45 days prior to the July 21, 2025 public hearing (which is June 6, 2025). 

​​​Frequently Asked Questions

What services does an ESD provide?

The services that an ESD can provide depends on what services are included in the ESD creation document. The ESD petition as received and filed includes both fire and emergency ​services. An ESD cannot levy a tax for any other purpose other than the services included in the petition.

Is an ESD a county or city department?

The emergency services district is a political subdivision of the state of Texas, with its own taxing authority and governance structure. It is neither a county nor a city department.​

Will Collin County contribute funds to assist in the creation of an ESD?

Collin County is statutorily prohibited from advocating for or against the creation of the ESD. Collin County may provide information, such as this website, but may not spend money advocating for the creation of the district.

How does an ESD get its funding?

An ESD is a political subdivision of the state of Texas and receives no direct state or federal funding. ESDs are funded through a property tax of up to $0.10 per $100 valuation and a voter-approved sales and use tax of up to $0.02 in the unincorporated area (including the extraterritorial jurisdiction). ESDs can receive donations and can apply for grants.

Does the Collin County Commissioners Court set the ESD tax rate?

The Collin County Commissioners Court sets the initial tax rate for the ESD, which can be no more than $0.10 per $100 in value, but the ESD Board of Commissioners will set the subsequent tax rates and adopt annual budgets.

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Who appoints the ESD Board of Commissioners?

Collin County Commissioners Court will appoint the Commissioners of the ESD board. Five commissioners are appointed to the ESD Board of Commissioners. To be appointed, an individual must own land in the district. ESD Commissioners have staggered two-year terms.

I live in a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction – am I included in the ESD boundaries?

The ESD petition that was received covers all of the unincorporated area of the county – including all of the ETJ’s that are in Collin County. Sec. 775.014, Tex. Health and Safety Code, outlines the process for a city to “consent” to including its ETJ in an emergency services district. The County has sent letters to each city with ETJ in the proposed ESD, and the city council has sixty (60) days from the date of the receipt of the letter to either consent or not consent to the inclusion of the city’s ETJ in the proposed ESD.

The decision for a city council to consent or not consent must be made at a public meeting where residents can offer their input.

​How will the ESD provide fire and emergency services?

The Commissioners Court anticipates that the ESD will continue to contract with cities and volunteer fire departments to provide fire and emergency services. There is no plan for the ESD to create a fire department or run its own ambulance service. 

To check if your address qualifies for coverage, click on the Fire District M​ap below and select the 9-1-1 icon in the top right corner to enter your address.​

Fire District Map

How much will the ESD tax be?

The Commissioners Court will set the initial tax rate to provide for services while keeping administrative costs to a minimum. Until the district boundaries are set, no tax can be determined.

Who has been paying for my fire service?

The Collin County Commissioners Court, cities, and volunteer fire departments have partnered for a quarter century to provide fire and emergency services to the unincorporated area of the county. The County distributes $950,000 in tax dollars to cities and volunteer fire departments to provide for fire protection services and budgets approximately $1,000,000 for ambulance services and EMS response. The County is not required by state statute to provide fire or emergency services in the unincorporated area.

Why doesn’t the County pay more?

For FY2025, all county residents pay 14.9 cent tax (per $100 of home valuation) for core county services such as the criminal justice system—courts, prosecutors, district and county clerks, indigent defense attorneys, and the detention center—in addition to the medical examiner, elections, county roads and bridges, and tax office.  Based on our calculations, in order to meet the cities' request for increased funding, the County would have to propose a tax that exceeds the voter-approval rate and call an election to increase the tax rate.    

I live in a MUD – won’t I be paying double?

The Commissioners Court has adopted a Statement of Principles (pdf) ​that would advise the ESD Commissioners to avoid double taxing residents of MUDs. MUDs in Collin County already must have an agreement for fire service in place.  The Commissioners Court does not want to disrupt those contracts and wants to ensure that MUD taxpayers are not paying twice for the same service.

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