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Richmond discussion on Fort Bend County fire agreement stalls amid EMS, ladder-truck concerns
Summary
City commissioners debated a proposed fire protection agreement with Fort Bend County that appeared to limit compensation to fire incidents and did not clarify ladder-truck title or EMS reimbursement; with no motion made the resolution failed and commissioners asked staff for clearer terms and further coordination.
Mayor Becky Haas and the Richmond City Commission discussed Resolution No. 24-2025, a proposed fire protection agreement with Fort Bend County, during the Jan. 20 meeting. City Manager Terri Vela reported staff had received an update from the county’s assistant county attorney and the county’s effort to standardize ETJ service agreements through a third-party consultant.
Commissioner Barry Beard said the county had canceled the prior agreement and stopped payments while Richmond continued providing fire and EMS services in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Beard said the draft agreement appeared to limit compensation to fire incidents and did not address EMS first-response calls, which constitute a significant portion of the city’s call volume. He also said the agreement did not clearly define title transfer or repayment terms for the ladder truck previously used under the prior agreement.
Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy, who attended the meeting, said the county is working with multiple municipalities to standardize ETJ service agreements and has engaged a consultant to evaluate long-term service and compensation structures. McCoy said the county intends to reach a fair agreement through collaboration with affected cities.
Commissioners questioned whether EMS first-response calls would be compensable under the county proposal, and they expressed concern about unresolved language on equipment ownership and repayment for apparatus. City Manager Vela told the commission the city had not participated in the consultant’s internal discussions and had not provided data directly to the consultant.
Mayor Haas emphasized public-safety obligations and the need to ensure both reliable service delivery and fair compensation to the city. After discussion, no motion was made on Resolution No. 24-2025 and the item failed for lack of motion. Commissioners asked staff to continue coordination with the county, clarify compensation for EMS responses and ladder-truck terms, and return with additional information for future consideration.
