August 2024 Newsletter
President’s Message
Greetings fellow Plano residents:
Hope you are enjoying the Dog Days of Summer and the last few weeks of summer break.
Our City Council will be taking up a discussion in their August 12th meeting to set the tax rate for the 2024 year after their recent deliberations on the property valuations and budget planning process. You can listen in to the discussion on PlanoTV Monday evening. If you intend to attend in person, just a reminder that the meetings are still at Davis Library while Council chambers are being renovated.
Have you signed up at the City website to receive alerts and information from the City of Plano? It is easy to submit your name and email address to obtain information for everything from trash collection day reminders to Planning & Zoning or Council meetings online. There is a great deal more from your city in the area of transparency these days. Avail yourself of the information.
You can sign up for notifications from the city to be dropped in your email inbox on a weekly basis by registering here.
Pat Greer, President
Hello from your Collin College Board of Trustees. During the last meeting the Board unanimously supported the retention of the same tax rate for 2025! As you probably have noticed on your tax assessment you received in the mail, this is unusual and to my way of thinking, admirable. Living within current inflation, many taxing entities, to make ends meet, are raising their tax rates. Collin College is retaining the tax rate we have operated within for the past several years.
With the large number of new properties being built, and the rise in property values in Collin County, the college has determined to keep the tax rate stationary. Collin College has also suffered under rising prices as each of you have, but because of the excellent efforts of the college budget and finance staff, we are opting to live within our current tax structure.
Public Hearings on the budget will be held on August 27th, 5:30PM in the Board Room at the Collin Higher Education Center at 3452 Spur 399, McKinney.
The Board voted to move forward with the repairs to some of our older campuses. Plano campus can look forward to a new roof and the Courtyard Campus mechanics will improve.
Texas A&M Engineering Academy is now in full swing. Collin County residents can enroll at Collin College and simultaneously be an Aggie. Completing the first portion of an A&M Engineering degree paying Collin College tuition…what a deal. Currently 91 students have enrolled in this program that begins this semester. This number of students interested in this program outpaced our expectations.
On the athletic front, Collin College will host the men’s tennis tournament. As more details come to light, I’ll keep you updated.
Tune in to see Collin College student, Jourdan Delacruz in the Paris Olympics. She is representing the USA in weightlifting on August 8th. At the writing of this article (8/6/2024) I can’t report on her success, but we can all watch together and cheer her on to a medal.
Thank you for your interest in Collin College. It is our goal to not only provide our Collin County students with the best education for the dollar spent but also prepare our constituents with work skills so they can provide for themselves, their families, and the community.
Next Board meeting will be held August 27, 2024 at 7 PM at the Higher Education Center (3452 Hwy 121, McKinney, TX). I would love to see you there or you can watch from your home here.
The 2025 Bond Referendum Citizen Advisory Committee members are: Conner Barron, Gary Cary, Elle Cole, Brett Cooper, Steve Lavine, Ying Lu, Jim Reynolds, and Andrew Schimenti.
Volunteer to Serve on a City of Plano Board or Commission
Your community needs you to volunteer on a City of Plano Board or Commission. The annual application process is underway. Explore the Boards and Commissions Overview to find the service opportunity that fits you best. View the list of openings. Applications are due Thursday, Aug. 29.
Boards and Commissions Information Session
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 6-7:30 pm
Plano Event Center
2000 E. Spring Creek Pkwy.
Representatives at the Information Session will answer your questions about each board. We look forward to seeing you.
Apply for a board or commission at Plano.gov/BoardsAndCommissions.
Find more details here.
Upcoming Plano Citizens’ Coalition event:
Next General Meeting - September 12th. Details will follow.
Here are a few ways to be more engaged - fun, enlightening, and interesting, and the Bond Referendum Committee is an opportunity to have a say in what projects/expenses are worthwhile for our City of Excellence and fellow citizens.
The Plano Citizen’s Police Academy began accepting applications via the registration link for the Fall 2024 term on Monday, July 8, 2024. Classes will begin on August 29, 2024, through November 21, 2024. Begin here to register for the Fall 2024 Citizen's Police Academy. Classes are held every Thursday evening from 7:00p to 10:00p at the Plano-Richardson Training Center (4912 14th St, Plano, TX 75074).
For information on the Fire Department citizen academy, call 972-941-7497.
Greg Willis also has a Prosecutor’s Academy 972-548-4478
Here is information on the Citizens Sheriff Academy.
Plano City Council Recap - July 22, 2024
Click here for full recap of the City Council meeting by Councilman Shelby Williams.
Plano City Council meeting live streamed on PlanoTV.org and City of Plano Facebook page. Next meeting: August 12, 2024.
Plano City Council meetings will temporarily be held at Davis Library (7501 Independence Pkwy.) as of April 8, 2024, during renovation of the council chambers.
Friends,
Thank you all for your financial support last month to help protect our children in our digital age. With your encouragement, I was able to produce a PSA video with the Texas Public Policy Foundation highlighting digital safety information for parents. I have launched this video on my new Parent Resources webpage.
On this webpage you will find helpful information to keep our children safe on their digital devices, as well as a list of trusted resources for parents and families.
I will continue to build out this page with helpful information for families. However, I recognize there is power in numbers, and I would like to build an army of parents who will help me share these important resources and information. This is why I am starting my own Parent Information Task Force!
This group will receive special alerts and updates on information to help us protect our children in today's digital age. We will work together to share this information with other parents in order to empower us all with the tools and support needed to keep our children safe.
JOIN THE PARENT INFORMATION TASK FORCE
If you are interested in being a part of the solution, or you want to ensure you see all of the information yourself, please SIGN UP for the PARENT INFORMATION TASK FORCE. I know that together we can make a difference!
You can view more news and updates in the remainder of my newsletter below and, as always, if there is anything I can do to serve you, please reach out to me here.
Sincerely,
Senator Angela Paxton
Join or renew here.
Make your voice heard by joining PCC! Together we will work to keep Plano a City of Excellence. We offer four types of membership: Individual, Family, Student, and Non-Plano Resident. Click here to learn more.
Get Involved
Serve on a Committee
Policy Committees
These committees are responsible for overseeing policy research and position formulation for our organization for both City of Plano issues as well as PISD.
Leadership Development Committee
This committee seeks to identify, train, and support future City of Plano and PISD leaders.
If you would like to serve on either of these, please contact Plano Citizens’ Coalition.
Submit an Opinion Article
PCC is open to guest writers. Send an article to PCC and the appropriate Committee at Plano Citizens’ Coalition for review. Your work could be featured in our next newsletter.
Our mailing address is:
Plano Citizens' Coalition
2701 W. 15th Street #249
Plano, TX 75075
Copyright © 2024 Plano Citizens' Coalition, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in to our mailing list through either an online or offline form.