SHERMAN, Texas (KTEN)—Grayson County commissioners voted to have the county fire marshal report directly to them, rather than the sheriff's office, where the marshal currently reports.

The board chose to make this shift in anticipation of the county's growth, and to be in better alignment with state guidelines.

"With the growth that we have coming, updating our subdivision regulations, adopting the fire code, we need him to be more autonomous," County Judge Bruce Dawsey said.

It also means all necessary licenses and certifications will fall under one entity, instead of separating them across multiple departments.

"We have our fire commission held here through Texas Commission on Fire Protection, we have our paramedic license held here through the Texas Department of Health, and now we'll have our TCOLE—our Texas Commission on Law Enforcement held through this office," Fire Marshal John Weda said. "So it's going to be one entity."

The change will go into effect this October. Commissioners also opted to keep Weda in the position of fire marshal.