Rural Collin County residents have struggled to get fire and ambulance services. That\u2019s a problem throughout in unincorporated parts of Texas.<\/p>\n
But late Tuesday, a proposition to create an Emergency Service District in parts of the county that aren’t annexed into a city or a town appeared likely to pass. <\/p>\n
With 71 of 91 voting centers reporting, 71.8% of rural Collin voters had cast their ballots in favor of the proposition and about 26.2% had voted against it. <\/p>\n
The Emergency Service District, or ESD, will levy a tax on homes in unincorporated Collin County to help pay for fire and ambulance services in area.<\/p>\n
Setting up the district could take some time, leaving a potential coverage gap in the meantime. <\/p>\n
Currently, Collin County pays cities and towns to have their fire department answer 911 calls in neighboring unincorporated areas. The county\u2019s budget for those services is $950,000. <\/p>\n
Some cities have opted out of serving the unincorporated areas, saying they need more funds to meet \u202fthe demand<\/a>\u202f for services.<\/p>\n The following cities opted to have the unincorporated areas they serve<\/a> included in the ESD. The town of New Hope also requested to include its city limits in the district.<\/p>\n Blue RidgeCelinaFarmersvilleFateJosephineLavonLowry CrossingMcKinneyMelissaMurphyNevadaNew HopeParkerPrincetonRoyse CityWestonWylie<\/p>\n Other cities didn\u2019t consent to have their coverage area included in the district or didn\u2019t respond when the county reached out about the ESD:<\/p>\n GarlandAllenAnnaFairviewFriscoHebronLucasSt. PaulTrentonVan AlstyneWhat’s next<\/p>\n Forming an ESD is a slow process. The Collin County commissioners have to appoint board members to manage the district and levy and collect taxes. <\/p>\n Emergency Services Districts can levy a property tax rate on homes in the district\u2019s service area of no more than $0.10 per $100 of a property\u2019s value of homes in its jurisdiction according to the\u202fTexas Association of Fire and Emergency Districts.<\/a><\/p>\n The funds the ESD would collect should increase funding for emergency services, Collin County administrator Yoon Kim told county commissioners at an August meeting.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a tenfold increase to provide the fire protection,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n But he said it would be at least a year before services could begin. Collin County Judge Chris <\/p>\n Hill said at an August commissioners\u2019 court meeting he wants to maintain coverage in the meantime.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone who lives the county drives through it at some point or visits the unincorporated part of county at some points,\u201d Hill said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n But, he said, it\u2019s not up to the county alone \u2014 cities and towns would have to agree to continue coverage at the current level while the ESD was formed.<\/p>\n Jo Ann Graham, an unincorporated Collin County resident who helped petition the county to call for the ESD election, urged the county commissioners at a March meeting<\/a> to adequately fund emergency protections for the unincorporated areas in the interim while the Emergency Services District process is ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot again wait 43 minutes for the Weston Fire Department to respond to a house fire or a serious car accident east of Melissa,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at\u00a0clove@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n