Bluegrass

Rural residents to vote on emergency services 

by | Oct 16, 2025 | Latest, news

Collin County residents who don’t live in cities will decide Nov. 4 whether their property should be taxed to pay for an emergency services district (ESD).

The Collin County Commissioners Court agreed in July to place a petition request on the general election ballot.

If approved by voters, ESD-1 would serve residents in up to 75.5 square miles of unincorporated land in the county.

Since 2013, the county has paid fire departments in 22 cities a total of $950,000 a year to provide emergency service to residents living outside the cities.

But cities said they could no longer afford to provide that service. Melissa dropped their contract last year and the cities of Princeton, McKinney, Wylie and Farmersville filed notice of termination this year. 

County commissioners will appoint the five members of the ESD board, directors who must live in the district and pay taxes in the district. The board will be responsible for setting the tax rate, overseeing the district’s annual budget and providing the fire and emergency services to residents.

To read the full story, stay informed and support local journalism, subscribe to your community newspaper The Wylie News today!

By Bob Wieland | [email protected]

Collin College Summer/Fall 2026 Reg 2

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property ET_Builder_Module_Comments::$et_pb_unique_comments_module_class is deprecated in /home/csmediatexas/wylienews/wp-content/themes/Divi/includes/builder/class-et-builder-element.php on line 1380

0 Comments

Subscribe RH Love

Related News

Outreach van brings books to community

Outreach van brings books to community

The new Friends of the Library outreach van promotes literacy by providing books for readers of all ages. Courtesy Smith Library Smith Public Library patrons may notice a brightly colored van in the parking lot this summer. The new Friends of the Library outreach van,...

read more
Applications for holiday assistance now open

Applications for holiday assistance now open

The 2 Fishes Project is now accepting applications for families in need of Christmas gift assistance. Courtesy photo While many North Texans are planning Fourth of July cookouts and looking forward to fireworks, Danielle Girdano is already thinking about Christmas....

read more
Murphy H-E-B to open Wednesday, July 22

Murphy H-E-B to open Wednesday, July 22

The worst-kept secret in Wylie has officially been revealed: the new H-E-B store at FM 544 and McCreary Road in Murphy will open at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22. Comprising about 122,000 square feet, the H-E-B will include a barbecue restaurant with a drive-thru...

read more
City Missions supports homeless individuals

City Missions supports homeless individuals

City Missions volunteers fill bags with necessities to distribute directly to homeless individuals in Plano and surrounding cities. Photo provided by City Missions Serving the community for more than five years, City Missions continues to provide essentials to...

read more
Wylie students excel on STAAR exams

Wylie students excel on STAAR exams

Wylie ISD students posted gains in four of five end-of-course State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams this spring, with at least 88% of students meeting grade-level standards in every tested subject and as many as 98% doing so in Biology....

read more
Council OKs zoning requests, weighs bond projects

Council OKs zoning requests, weighs bond projects

Parks and Rec. Photo Craig Kelly / City of Wylie Wylie City Council continued planning for its upcoming bond election and next year’s budget while approving several zoning requests during its meeting Tuesday, June 23.  The meeting opened with presentations and...

read more
Order photos