HUTTO — Williamson County Emergency Services District No. 3, known as Hutto Fire Rescue, announced the location of its future Fire Station 6 in a press release Aug. 22.
The news over the weekend comes even as the city continues to explore its own plans to build its first fire station, separate from the ESD.
According to the release, the ESD No. 3 facility will be built on the east side of Hutto along CR 132, near CR 134 and close to the Skybox data center and future Hutto Megasite.
Hutto Fire Rescue began planning for Station 6 in 2019, according to county officials. The ESD’s commissioners approved the purchase of the property in April 2026.
Hutto Fire Rescue officials in the release said the station is part of the district’s “long-term planning to ensure emergency services continue to keep pace with the growth of our community.”
The district currently serves an estimated population of more than 73,000 people across its 63-square-mile jurisdiction. That number is projected to grow to nearly 93,000 by 2033, according to officials.
The U.S. Census Bureau has listed the Hutto area among the 15 fastest-growing municipalities in the country.
Meanwhile, the city is working toward building its own fire station— also near the Megasite.
In May, the City Council directed the Hutto Economic Development Corp. to move forward with the project. The EDC is working to purchase land for the station and has selected PBK Architects to design the facility.
Hutto leaders have said the station will be part of its plans to establish a city-owned fire department, with the Megasite area being an initial focus.
A bone of contention between the city and ESD No. 3 is the allocation of sales taxes used to fund Hutto Fire Rescue and what the city would recoup if it built its own fire station.
The ESD is “funded in part through a voter-approved 2% local sales tax in areas outside of the city limits of Hutto, which helps support fire stations, firefighters, equipment and emergency response operation,” according to a flyer the county distributed in June.
In Texas, an ESD is classified as a special-purpose taxing district funding fire protection, emergency medical services and other first-responder services.
They were originally designed in the 1990s to serve rural areas that could not afford a city fire department or lacked a large population.
ESD No. 3 is not affiliated with the city of Hutto, and has its own budget and taxing powers.
Hutto Fire Rescue today operates four fire stations, along with its headquarters and warehouse. As announced in 2025, it also has secured the site for Station 5 near Hutto Independent School District’s future second high school campus.
