Celina has opened a new police headquarters, staffed a third fire station and broken ground on a fourth as the city races to keep public safety ahead of the fastest population growth in the country.
The city grew 24.6% from mid-2024 to mid-2025, adding nearly 13,000 residents to surpass 64,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data reported by CBS News. That pace makes Celina the nation's fastest-growing city among those with populations over 20,000.
"It's exciting. I think it shows the momentum that Celina has," Mayor Ryan Tubbs told The Dallas Morning News in May when the Census figures were released.
Tubbs has said a full buildout could put Celina's population at roughly 350,000. Public safety is one of eight pillars in the city's strategic plan, and in the January–February 2024 edition of the city's Life Connected magazine, Tubbs called it the single most important budget priority.
New facilities on the ground
The Celina Police Department moved into its permanent headquarters at 3025 S. Coit Road, at the corner of Coit Road and Punk Carter Parkway behind the Bluewood development. The 32,660-square-foot main building includes a community room with audio-visual support, specialized law enforcement lockers in a section built to withstand an EF-5 tornado, an interior courtyard and space allocated for a future dispatch center. A 5,600-square-foot asset support building sits adjacent.
Fire Station No. 3, a 23,324-square-foot facility at FM 1385 and Ballenger Drive near Sutton Fields on Celina's western edge, is also operational. The station houses a five-lane apparatus bay, quarters for 12 firefighters and dedicated training spaces.
Next up: an $11.4 million, 16,000-square-foot Fire Station No. 4 at 1205 Punk Carter Parkway on the city's east side. It broke ground in November 2025 and is set to open in February 2027, sharing a campus with the police headquarters, according to Community Impact.
Staffing surge
Each department added 19 personnel in 2023. Police Chief John Cullison swore in two officers in December 2023 to cap that year's hiring push, and the fire department brought on 19 firefighters including a final class of six that same month.
Leadership grew too. Justin Beamis was promoted to Division Chief of Training and Logistics, and Brian Little to Division Chief of EMS and Fleet.
Former Fire Chief Mark Metdker, who oversaw much of the expansion during 16 years of service, retired in 2024. Shawn White took over as fire chief in early October 2024.
The growth hasn't slowed. At a June 9 City Council meeting, White presented a plan to hire nine additional firefighters in the 2026-27 fiscal year, moving all engine crews from three-person to four-person staffing to align with national best practices, Community Impact reported.
The city has secured more than a dozen properties for future public safety facilities as it plans for continued expansion. Celina hired its first police chief, Archie Bankston, in August 1955; a paid fire chief didn't arrive until 2001.
