Josephine council consents to include its ETJ in proposed Collin County Emergency Services District

The Josephine City Council voted April 14 to consent to inclusion of territory in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) within a proposed Collin County Emergency Services District (ESD). City staff said state law requires municipal written consent before an ESD may include a city’s limits or part of its ETJ.

Staff described the proposal as a countywide petition to create an ESD that would replace some county contracts with a dedicated district funded by a voter‑approved property tax. City staff and several council members said the proposal carries unknowns: the final tax rate, how the ESD board will allocate funds, whether territory can later be removed, and how MUDs and other special districts within Josephine’s ETJ would be treated.

Mayor and council members pressed staff on timing and consequences. One councilmember asked whether the county had a deadline for written consent; staff said the city was approaching a 60‑day window and needed to act at this meeting. Councilmembers expressed concern about ceding taxing authority to a board that would be selected through the county process, and asked how services for ETJ residents would be guaranteed if the city declined to consent.

After discussion, the council moved and approved a resolution consenting to inclusion of the city’s ETJ and its industrial district in the proposed Collin County Emergency Services District. Staff noted the resolution does not set ESD tax rates or board appointments; those will be determined later by petition process and, if the proposed ESD is placed on the ballot, by voter approval.