Collin County accepts petition and sets July public hearing on proposed Emergency Services District

Collin County Commissioners Court on Wednesday accepted a petition to form Collin County Emergency Services District No. 1 and set a public hearing for July 21 to finalize the district's boundaries and consider placing the measure on the November ballot.

The county accepted a petition verified as containing at least 100 signatures of property owners in the proposed district and directed staff to notify municipalities. If voters approve the district on Nov. 4, 2025, county staff said a district budget would not be adopted until October 2026 and the first ad valorem tax revenue would be available in January 2027, creating a gap year during which the county said it will work with municipal and volunteer fire partners to maintain service.

The petition was introduced after public comments from unincorporated-area residents warning of increasing response times and rising insurance costs. Kevin Rohrer, a resident of Farmersville, said unincorporated homeowners face higher tax burdens and urged a hybrid solution in which the county helps buffer the new district's initial tax impact. "You need to do an ESD," Rohrer said. Joanne Graham, who gathered signatures for the petition, told the court the district would "assure the provision of fire and emergency services to unincorporated areas" and urged interim funding so residents would not face long waits for fire or ambulance responses. Brandon Stacks, a 19-year veteran of the fire service and resident within the proposed district, described "skyrocketing insurance premiums, extended response times, lack of proper coverage," and said voters must be assured the appointed ESD board will be good stewards of tax dollars.

County Administrator Yoon Kim told the court staff verified the petition and that the petition covers unincorporated Collin County including municipal extraterritorial jurisdictions (ETJs) and certain MUDs. Kim said the county clerk and the elections administrator independently vetted signatures and confirmed at least 100 taxable-property owners signed the petition and that more than 318 qualified voters reside within the proposed boundaries.

Under state law, cities receiving notice have 60 days to inform the county whether they will allow their ETJs to be included in the proposed ESD; if a city disallows inclusion, that ETJ would be carved out before the final boundaries are set and residents there would not vote on or be served by the district. Kim and court members also noted a separate state process allows individual property owners to petition to opt out of an ETJ; the county said that opt-out process runs on a roughly 45-day timeline and could affect who is eligible to vote in the election. The court discussed calendar timing and concluded the July 21 public hearing gives a window for cities to respond and for citizens who wish to file ETJ opt-out petitions to do so.

The commissioners adopted two resolutions related to the petition. The court voted 5-0 to accept the petition and set the public hearing date. The court also voted 5-0 to adopt a statement of shared principles for how an eventual ESD should operate; the principles emphasize contracting with existing fire departments rather than creating a county fire department, minimizing administrative costs, avoiding double taxation for MUD residents, and working with municipal and volunteer partners during the gap year. Commissioner discussion reiterated the county does not maintain a Collin County Fire Department and that continued services in the near term depend on partnerships with cities and volunteers.

The county indicated it will mail letters to municipalities this week and launch a dedicated website section with frequently asked questions and timeline information. Kim said staff will provide regular updates to the commissioners on which cities consent or decline inclusion of their ETJs.

Votes at a glance: Resolution accepting petition and setting public hearing (passed 5-0); Resolution adopting statement of shared principles for ESD (passed 5-0).

Next steps: municipal notices will be sent, cities will have 60 days to respond, citizens in affected ETJs who wish to opt out must follow the 45-day opt-out process, and a public hearing on July 21 will be held before final boundaries are set for the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot.