R2018-059 2018-03-26 RESOLUTION NO. R2018-59
A resolution of the City Council of the City of Pearland (City") requesting staff
to develop option(s)available to property owners of the City's Extraterritorial
Jurisdiction ("ETJ")for financial contributions to the City in exchange for the
provision of fire services in the ETJ, beginning with Harris County and then
Brazoria County, in an effort to develop equity related to the payment for the
high quality fire services provided by the City to areas of the ETJ.
Whereas, the City has historically provided the primary initial emergency response for fire
department services, inclusive of emergency medical services, into the unincorporated portions of
Brazoria County, Harris County and Fort Bend County that are within the City's ETJ; and
Whereas,the City's provision of fire services in the ETJ has been predicated on the eventual
incorporation of the ETJ into the incorporated limits of the City, and was initiated as a service into
the ETJ when the City's provision of fire services was much smaller, less complex, and far less
expensive to the City and its taxpayers; and
Whereas, certain areas of the ETJ have Strategic Partnership Agreement's or Sales Tax
agreements that compensate the City as reflected on the ETJ Study attached hereto ("ETJ
Contributions"), while other larger geographic areas of the ETJ that make no mandatory regular
financial contributions to the City receive fire services for essentially free; and
Whereas, the City's annual Fire Department annual budget is already significant (FY
2017/18 over $15 million and continues to grow with additional stations, staffing, and equipment);
such direct costs, moreover, do not include debt service for fire stations, administration and
coordination overhead, and support;for provision of fire services in most portions of the ETJ which
are not currently offset through ETJ Contributions; thereby creating an undue tax burden on the
citizens and businesses of Pearland; and
Whereas, the current demand on City fire services in ETJ where there are no ETJ
Contributions negatively impacts the City's available resources and response capacity for City's
residents and businesses as well as areas of the ETJ that make ETJ Contributions; and
Whereas,the Texas State Legislature recently amended long-standing annexation laws for
municipalities that previously allowed for the planning and provision of services to ETJ based on the
eventual incorporation of the ETJ, such that the future annexation of the ETJ is doubtful under the
I
RESOLUTION NO. R2018-59
revised law that applies to Pearland but very few other cities; and
Whereas, the City Council recently directed staff to initiate the process of evaluating and
identifying viable opportunities for areas in the City's ETJ that make no ETJ Contributions, to
develop a plan to secure ETJ Contributions by December 31, 2018; at which point the City will notify
county emergency officials that the City will no longer be the initial primary responders to fire
services in the ETJ that do not make ETJ Contributions; and
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS:
Section 1. That the City Council of the City of Pearland hereby requests staff to develop
option(s)available to property owners of the ETJ for ETJ Contributions to the City for fire services in
the ETJ, beginning with Harris County and then Brazoria County, in an effort to develop a degree of
equity related to the payment for the high quality fire services provided by the City.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this the 26th day of March, A.D., 2018.
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TOM REID
MAYOR
ATTEST:
Y 4 NG L`'FING, T' ,`C �.. jN
Y SE 01'ETARY
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
DARRIN M. COKER
CITY ATTORNEY