On Monday the Collin County Commissioners Court voted to call an election for November 4, 2025, to confirm creation of “Collin County Emergency Services District No. 1” and to authorize its permanent funding stream.
Voters who live inside the proposed district, which covers all unincorporated land, all consenting ETJs, and the City of New Hope itself, will decide.
If the measure passes, the first tax year begins January 1, 2026, with bills issued later that year, and the district is scheduled to assume full responsibility for fire and ambulance service on October 1, 2026.
WHAT AN ESD IS
An emergency services district is an independent local government created under Chapter 775 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
It can levy a property tax up to ten cents per one hundred dollars of taxable value and, where room remains under the state sales-tax ceiling, an optional sales tax in one-eighth percent increments, up to two percent.
The legislature designed this model so rural communities can fund professional fire and medical response without city annexation.
WHY COLLIN COUNTY REACHED THIS POINT
For more than a decade the county paid nearby cities to handle calls in unincorporated areas.
Beginning in late 2023, several cities — including Melissa, McKinney, Farmersville, and Princeton — notified the county that those contracts will end by October 1, 2025.
With volunteer departments stretched thin, residents gathered signatures and filed an ESD petition on February 6, 2025.
The court accepted the filing on February 24 and held the required public hearing shortly afterward.
FINAL BOUNDARIES
The court found the proposal feasible and set boundaries that include every unincorporated parcel plus the extraterritorial jurisdiction of eighteen consenting cities.
Ten cities withheld consent, so their ETJs are excluded.
Included areas: the City of New Hope and the ETJs of Blue Ridge, Celina, Farmersville, Fate, Josephine, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada, Parker, Princeton, Prosper, Royse City, Weston, and Wylie.
Voters in the City of New Hope must also approve the district for the city to remain inside the boundaries.
Non-consenting cities: Allen, Anna, Fairview, Frisco, Garland, Hebron, Lucas, St. Paul, Trenton, and Van Alstyne.
Cities may later annex themselves into the district through their own elections. Until then, municipal taxpayers are not subject to the levy.
FINANCES IN PLAIN NUMBERS
On a home appraised at $450,000, the statutory cap equals about $450 per year.
The optional sales tax would apply only in areas that are still below the statewide ceiling, so most daily purchases would see no change.
The district may also bill for ambulance transports, seek grants, and accept donations.
Note: Over-65 and disability homestead exemptions are not automatically frozen for ESD taxes the way they are for school districts.
The ESD board may adopt a freeze by resolution under Texas Tax Code § 11.261, but this is discretionary rather than automatic.
SPECIFICS FOR PRINCETON RESIDENTS
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Inside the city limits: Princeton Fire Department remains the provider, and city property is not taxed by the ESD unless the city later opts in.
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Inside the Princeton ETJ: City coverage ends on October 1, 2025. If voters create the ESD, the district will step in on October 1, 2026. The county must arrange interim protection for the gap year.
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Annexation option: Landowners in the ETJ may petition to enter the city before canvassing, but annexation would bring city tax rates and regulations.
KEY DATES
- August 18, 2025: Deadline to finalize ballot language and file election notice.
- October 20, 2025: Early voting begins at county vote centers.
- November 4, 2025: Election Day. The measure must pass district-wide and also inside each consenting ETJ and inside New Hope to include them.
- Summer 2026: Commissioners Court appoints the first five ESD commissioners and adopts the initial budget and tax rate.
- October 1, 2026: District takes charge of contracts, vehicles, and stations.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Insurance ratings climb when coverage thins, and higher ratings mean higher premiums even for owners who never place a call.
A successful ESD keeps a professional engine or ambulance within realistic reach as growth pushes farther east of Princeton.
A failed vote leaves fire protection to year-by-year stopgap contracts and may push landowners toward annexation or volunteer alternatives.
The November decision therefore sets the trajectory for emergency readiness in rural Collin County for the next generation.
SOURCES
- Collin County Commissioners Court order of July 28, 2025 calling the election.
- Collin County Public Information Office timeline on the proposed ESD.
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 775.
- Texas Election Code sections 3.005 and 85.001.
- City of Princeton press release on contract termination, May 2025.
- Local television coverage ahead of the July hearings.
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