"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need."
--Kahlil Gibran
Frisco Population
May 1, 2007: 94,652 - 757 *
Apr 1, 2007: 95,409 + 719
Mar 1, 2007: 94,690 + 702
Feb 1, 2007: 93,988 + 642
Jan 1, 2007: 93,346 + 1,148
Dec 1, 2006: 92,198 + 769
Nov 1, 2006: 91,429 + 831
Oct 1, 2006: 90,598 + 782
Sep 1, 2006: 89,816 + 745
Aug 1, 2006: 89,071 + 602
Jul 1, 2006: 88,469 + 729
Jun 1, 2006: 87,740 + 769
May 1, 2006: 86,971 +10,211
May 1, 2005: 76,760 +11,281
May 1, 2004: 65,479
2006 Average
852 people per month moved to Frisco
2005 Average
768 people per month moved to Frisco *
*Adjusted with NCTCOG numbers
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Frisco Government Access Channel (FGAC)
Time Warner Cable: Channel 16
Grande Cable: Channel 12
Council Broadcasts
Tuesday - 9:00 am
Thursday - 7:00 pm
Saturday - 2:00 pm
P&Z Broadcasts:
Monday - 7:00 pm
Wednesday - 7:00 pm
Thursday - 9:00 am
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Warrant List
The Collin County Sheriff's Office is now posting a searchable list of
more than 35,000 active warrants on the county's web page. The list covers
active arrest warrants from Class-C misdemeanors to First-degree felonies, and
includes fine amounts, bond amounts and the name, physical description and the
last known address of an offender. The web page also has instructions posted on
how those on the list can pay off late fines and fees, plus ways to alert
authorities on where to find those being sought.
The Active Warrants List includes
offenses from fishing without a license to unpaid traffic tickets to burglary
and other felony crimes that have been committed in Collin County.
Late last year, the Collin County Sheriff's Office began posting the county jail's Current
Inmate List online as well. Both can
be reached from the Sheriff's Office section of the website.
Sheriff
Terry G. Box said: "The Internet is an important source of information in
today's world, and this addition to our website will allow the public access to
up-to-the-minute critical information."
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Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you wish. To subscribe directly to my e-mail list, simply visit http://www.friscofirst.com and enter your e-mail address in the subscription box. You can also e- mail me directly and I would be more than happy to add you. If you are receiving duplicate messages, please e-mail me and I will be happy to correct the problem.
This is not an official publication of the City of Frisco. Using e-mail and web sites to communicate with the Citizens of Frisco is something I started in Late 1999. All opinions stated in this newsletter are not official positions or opinions of the City Staff, Mayor or Council. |
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Greetings,
Hopefully everyone has dried out from the Wednesday storms. This is a "Special Edition" because it could be my last "Official" newsletter as your Council Represenative. Don't worry, I won't stop sending these out. I will just have to use the excuse of one of the other boards I serve on :-)
Gary Knepler, a Frisco resident, sent me the following note:
"FYI, after losing
power for several hours Wednesday night, the timer on my sprinkler system reset
and set my sprinklers to run everyday. I only noticed this when I came home for
lunch today and saw that my grass was wet.
You might want to
send out an email to remind people to check the settings on their sprinklers
systems if they lost power this week."
Thanks Gary!
Last Tuesday was our usual City Council Meeting. What makes this one different was that it could have been my last full meeting. Depending on whether there is a run-off election or not, my next meeting may be only to canvass the election.
It has been a wonderful seven years serving our citizens and I really have enjoyed being your representative. Seven years in Frisco is a lifetime in any other city. When I was first elected, we only had a population of 32,000. Now, we are at 95,000. I will discuss my service to our City in the articles below, but it is time to pick two new Council Members. PLEASE VOTE (see article below for voting information)
Also, I have been asked why some of the notices I send out are last minute. That happens for several reasons. First, I get pretty busy and I am the only one creating this newsletter (it makes for a lot of very late evenings). Many times, I do not receive the notices in time and, of course, this is just something I do to communicate with the citizens and I am not the repository of all things in Frisco :-) In other words, I do my best. I have sent these notices while waiting at airports, in between meetings and whenever I get a chance to do so. I apologize that it my not give you enough time to attend some of those meetings. I will do my best to send notices out as soon I can! Don't forget to look at the calendar on my web site or at http://www.localendar.com/public/mmaso. Feel free to add your events!
On
another note, I have heard discussions around town of the slow-down in new home
building and the impact to Frisco. I attended a presentation by Residential Strategies a few
months ago that discussed the trends in the housing market. This slowdown is not a surprise
to us and is regional and country wide in scope. Here are some of the numbers to put it
in perspective:
Frisco building permits by year (numbers provided by Tomlin Investments):
2003: 2705
2004: 3415
2005: 3677
2006: 3414
2007: 474 (year to date).
The
Year to Date number for us is down 43% compared to 2006. That is a
very measurable slowdown. To put it in perspective with nearby cities:
McKinney: down 48% (453 permits)
Little Elm: down 31% (116 permits)
Allen: down 65% (138 permits)
Plano: down 38% (116 permits)
Prosper: down 12% (79 permits)
Celina: down 40% (24 permits)
Melissa: down 58% (51 permits)
Anna: down 66% (46 permits)
The
numbers also are consistent with the other North Texas Cities that I
have not listed. As you can see, the slow down is broad across our
region. What does this mean to us? I chair the Budget and Audit Committee and I can tell you that the City of Frisco has always been very conservative when projecting growth numbers. Also, we have a large reserve available for those times that we really need it, such as natural disasters. Future budgets will have to take into account the slow down if it continues, but our current budget and debt service requirements are very healthy.
What else can we do from a budget perspective? Our Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Budget is being worked on as we speak. I will save the budget discussion for a future newsletter, but an example using our current fiscal year on how we plan for the growth is: Based on a January 1, 2006 property value, in which our population was 84,600, we set a tax rate in September of 2006 (our population is 89,800) to meet the needs of Frisco in September of 2007 (estimated population fo 101,400). So, you can see the challenge we face with our growth. I have also asked our City Managers office and our finance department to study creating a capital reserve fund (CRF). The idea behind a CRF is to put away excess funds that will allow us to pay for projects without having to use bond proceeds. Hopefully, the new Council will make this a priority during their annual work session this year.
As with any "loan", there is interest involved. The best way to explain what the CRF will do is to look at your home. You would typically have a mortgage on your house; However, it would not be wise to keep increasing your mortgage or get additional loans to pay for things such as a roof replacement, future landscaping improvements, a new fence or other minor things. The City needs to operate the same way. The CRF can be used for street repair, alley replacement, screening walls, facility repair (such as roofs on fire stations!) or even park upgrades. Not having to use bonds for these things would save our taxpayers a lot of money and keep us healthy long into the future.
The tolling of S.H. 121 is still a very hot issue both locally and at the State Level. You can keep up-to-date by visiting some of the links I put in the last newsletter. Corridor Watch is updated regularly, so you can find some of the latest action there. You can also subscribe to their e-mail list which always contains current information. Mayor Mike Simpson, City Manager George Purefoy and myself recently attended a Collin County Work Session and we testified on this subject. The proposed numbers/toll rates that TxDOT is presenting through the CDA Process are simply obscene. You MUST make your voices heard on this subject. The is not about tolling S.H. 121, it is about taking Collin County money and using it to fix the State's road problems. In other words, the burden of the State Shortfall is falling on the Citizens of our community and they do not even know it. Continue to contact your local elected officials, City, County, State and Federal. Tell them to ask questions about what this means to our community and they will quickly understand the language that is contained in the CDA will escalate the proposed rates to astronomical figures. Our community simply cannot sustain those rates and should not have to.
To understand what is taking place, please visit my web site and look under current issues. The memo that George Purefoy wrote to the County and to the State can be viewed there. Or, click on the following links:
Collin County Memo
RTC Vs. TxDOT Memo
Environmental Assessment
Don't forget, if you are receiving duplicate copies of this newsletter or my notices, I would like to know about it so I can fix the problem. There are still several roadrunner and comcast duplicate addresses, so if you are one of those people, simply click at the bottom of this newsletter to remove one of the addresses or just E-mail me.
Have a great week!
Maher Maso
Mayor Pro Tem
City of Frisco
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All Good Things Must Come to an End
As I stated in my opening remarks, I have reached my term limits on the Frisco City Council. As you may recall from previous newsletters, the City Council can serve up to a maximum of two terms, each of which is three years. I was first elected in May of 2000 and have been your representative for 7 years. Yes, I know the math does not add up! When I was first elected, our charter stated that we could serve up to three terms and each term was two years. I was caught in the transition and served one extra year. Council Member Bob Allen is also at term limits.
So, how was the seven years you ask? Well, it has been a very exciting time and, of course, challenging. Those that know me understand my commitment to the City, which I could not have carried out without the support of the community. That commitment basically meant that it was a full time "non-paying" job :-). I was honored by the sitting Council to be appointed as Mayor Pro Tem for the last four years (2003-2007) and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem in 2002.
But, as challenging and time consuming that my service has been, I can honestly say that I got a lot more out of it than the hours I put in. The friendships that were created, the things I learned and the goodness in people that I was able to be part of made this a very rewarding job. I am thankful to have been allowed by you, the citizens, to serve our community. I am very fortunate and blessed to have been trusted by you to represent Frisco. Most of all, I hope I have earned your trust and faith in me and that I have not let you down.
What were some of my accomplishments? In Frisco, with all the growth we have, it is difficult to just note one or two things that the entire Council has accomplished. That is actually a key point, one individual on the council cannot accomplish much on their own. It takes a team. While I am going to list what I feel are some of the key things I was involved with or helped drive, please always remember, you have six other elected officials on the Council that work hard for you and it takes a team to make things happen.
When I was elected in 2000 and soon afterwards, I had a set of priorities that I wanted to see take place. The first thing you learn in government is that things move very slow. There are many reasons for this and that is mainly due to the second thing you learn in government; that things are a lot more complex than you first realize. I won't list the priorities that were important to all us that the entire team worked on, which includes traffic, road construction, infrastructure, public safety and growth management.
One of my first priorities was the number of Multi-Family (apartments) we had zoned in Frisco. Now, everyone agrees that some multi-family is needed and is, in fact, part of a balanced community. However, in 2000, no one really knew how much we had. I campaigned on a 3-step plan and I knew most of the sitting Council Members were just as interested in reducing the numbers. It took a few months to reach step #1 (which was to identify how much we really had). The good news was we did it and the bad news was that we found we had more than we thought (approximately 65,000). Following through over the years, that number has been reduced significantly, but we still have some work ahead of us.
Another passion of mine was the setbacks/sidewalks. In my campaign material of 2000, I showed a picture of Hillcrest Road north of Lebanon. You had a brick wall, shrubs, a sidewalk and the street. The problem was that a child riding his or her bike was almost in the street due to little setback from the street and a narrow sidewalk (and add to that the poles you see right in the middle from time to time!) I proposed a 6' sidewalk in neighborhoods and thoroughfare. Through discussions with our planning department and development community, a compromise of 5' sidewalks was reached but also the option of 8' sidewalks. This was a several year project, but was finally approved last year. You will see new neighborhoods have the wider sidewalks and I am very proud of this accomplishment. I don't have to see a Mother, Father and stroller walking in straight line like ducks, they can actually walk next to each other.
Of course, another passion of mine has been the cultural arts. When I was elected in 2000, I promptly joined the Frisco Association for the Arts board of directors. A little coercion from Sonny Moyers did not hurt :-). I served on the board for seven years. Also, I was appointed to serve on the steering committee for the Arts of Collin County Project and now serve as vice-president of the Arts of Collin County Project. This tri-city Cultural Arts Project is very unique. The importance of the Arts became very clear to me from a business perspective when we studied successful cities in the U.S. Just about every city had a strong cultural arts program as part of their identity.
Another project that was important to me from a public safety perspective was the lighted street signs. I Worked with the City Council and our staff to make sure we designed them and put them in the budget. You can now see the results at just about every intersection.
Continuing education was a priority for me personally and one of my major accomplishments, which allowed me to serve our Citizens to the best of my abilities. I am only one of a handful of elected officials in the State of Texas who has completed significant annual education hours annually. I have received recognition awards for the past six years and the City of Frisco has received an award for also making the commitment. The total hours over the last six years is over 350 total hours and some of the education I have received include being a certified public investment officer, Hotel/Motel Tax, residential strategies, transportation training, emergency disaster training, Economic Development, Technology, tourism, legislative issues, public presentation, public communication, open meetings law, open records law and the list goes on. I can't stress to you how important it is to hold your elected officials responsible for getting this education as it is vital in making sound decisions for our City.
This was a quick (yeah, right, I know I am long-winded) recap of some of the passions I had. You can tell from my BIO the groups I have been involved with. Leadership Frisco was always near and dear to my heart and anything to do with the school district has always been a priority. I enjoyed working on the FISD Technology Committee and will continue to volunteer my time to FISD.
Please volunteer your time to help our City. None of the things I listed could have been possible without the help and support of the many volunteers around us. Also, you can see that our staff worked very hard on these projects and should be congratulated.
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Recent Events
I have been very lax in keeping up my event BLOG. I simply can't find time to keep it up-to-date as the City commitments have really consumed most of my life these last few months. However, I thought I would review some of events from the last few weeks here:
4-2-07 Judged the Women's Council of Realtors Easter Basket competition. The baskets were used for a fundraiser and boy, it was difficult to judge. I had the opportunity to see so many creative baskets. The other Judges were Mayor Steve Terrell of Allen and his his wife Sally. We ended up throwing our names in for a live auction also (Sorry Mayor Simpson, I volunteered you also!). Also attended the Frisco Square Municipal Management District Meeting later that day where I serve as a board member.
4-3-07 Had lunch with a Frisco Citizen to discuss issues and had our City Council meeting in the evening.
4-4-07 Attended the Frisco Association for the Arts advisory council meeting and also attended the Frisco Family Services Volunteer Dinner.
4-5-07 Met with one of the City Council Candidates. I tried to meet with each one on an individual basis.
4-6-07 Met with the cities of McKinney and Allen to discuss potential revenue proposal for Arts of Collin County project.
4-9-07 Had long conference call with Regional Rail Initiative Mayors and other elected officials. Also attended the DBU Tom Landry Awards dinner.
4-10-07 Attended the Metroplex Mayors meeting in Addison on behalf of Mayor Mike Simpson. Also attended the Stonebriar Women's Committee as their guest. I was honored with an award. It was very touching and I am thankful for their support over the years! Also attended a reception by HNTB and had the honor of listening to General Barry R. McCaffrey, USA (Ret.) speak.
4-11-07 On behalf of the Arts of Collin County and Mayor Mike Simpson, I attended a meeting with our local Hotels at our CVB.
4-12-07 Attended the Frisco ISD Education Foundation Scholarship event.
4-13-07 Early flight to Austin for meeting with Hotel/Lodging Association.
4-17-07 Attended the Frisco Developers Council monthly meeting. Also attended a luncheon at Stonebriar and our monthly City Council meeting in the evening.
4-18-07 Attended a meeting with the Mayors of Frisco, Allen and Plano at Allen City Hall. Also chaired the Arts of Collin County Commission meeting in Allen.
4-19-07 Taped segment for televising on the public access channel.
4-20-07 Attended the NTTA groundbreaking in Austin for the extension of the DNT Service Roads.
4-21-07 Attended and spoke at the Miracle League of Frisco park dedication for Mayor Mike Simpson. Also attended the Children's Advocacy Center annual Gala at the Embassy Suites. Hated to miss the Heather Ridge Estates flashlight walk - I really wanted to attend this!
4-24-07 Met with the director of the MS-150 bike ride in Frisco. Also attended the Heritage Association of Frisco monthly meeting.
4-25-07 Another trip to Austin to testify in front of the house. This one fell apart. What should have been a 1:30pm meeting did not start until approx. 9:30PM and ended up having to spend the night. While down there, had the opportunity to attend an NTTA Reception and meet some of the State Senators and Representatives as well as some of our local leaders.
4-26-07 Attended the Garden Club Luncheon, an annual event that I really enjoy. Also attended the Frisco Community night at FC Dallas.
4-27-07 A really fun day for me. I had the opportunity to speak to approx. 800 kids at Pink Elementary. They won the Reuse-A-Shoe contest with over 3,600 Pairs of Shoes collected. They even tried to "borrow" mine as I walked in :-) Seriously, what a great bunch of kids. Ms. Weeks, Environmental Coordinator at Pink and Mr. Nickel, Principal of Pink Elementary, should be very proud of the job they are doing. The shoes will be donated to Frisco Family Services for Resale or recycling. None will go to the landfill. Very nicely done by the Frisco Environmental Services. Also, after speaking to the kids, I attended the Arbor Day Celebration at Bright Elementary. Another opportunity to speak with the children while they visited different stations learning about trees and our environment. What a great job our volunteers are doing with the kids. Thanks to Michael Zapata and Dale Smeal for their hard work (both are Urban Forestry Board members).
4-30-07 Yep, another trip to Austin. This time to testify in front of the Senate. This one was a bit smoother as I didn't have to spend the night. Also attended the Collin County Work Session at Frisco City Hall. George Purefoy, Mayor Simpson and I addressed the commissioners regarding S.H. 121.
5-1-07 My last full City Council meeting unless, of course, there is a run-off in the council elections.
5-2-07 Whew, what a night with the storms we have. Spent the evening driving the City and taking notes of damage. Mayor Simpson was the the Emergency Operations Center with our public safety, engineering and traffic teams.
5-3-07 Attended the Collin County Prayers Breakfast in Plano. Also toured Plantation Resort with our Fire Department to see the areas of damage.
5-4-07 Attended a luncheon and heard Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson speak. Tonight, I will attend the MS-150 reception and a busy weekend coming up.
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Traffic Update TRAFFIC ADVISORY:SECTION OF DALLAS PARKWAY CLOSED TOMORROW DURING MS 150 BIKE RIDE (May 4, 2007) Both the northbound and southbound lanes of Dallas Parkway (future Dallas North Tollway) from Main Street to U.S. 380 will be closed tomorrow, Saturday, May 5, from 6:30 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. (approximately) while participants in the Sam's Club MS 150 Bike Ride move through Frisco.
Traffic will be detoured to F.M. 423, Legacy Drive, Preston Road and Frisco Street, as necessary. Cyclists will be traveling on the Dallas Parkway from Gaylord to U.S. 380 on the first leg of their journey. Bikes will travel with vehicular traffic from Gaylord to Main Street. |
S.H. 121 Project:
Independence -- All Lanes are
open
Hillcrest -- All lanes are
open
Coit -- All lanes are open
Ohio -- An
Overpass will be constructed for northbound and southbound Ohio. This
intersection was closed April 24, 2006. TxDOT anticipates having the Ohio
Overpass complete October 2007.
Preston -- All lanes are
open
Parkwood -- All lanes are
open
Legacy -- This intersection is estimated
to be complete April 2007.
Spring Creek -- This intersection is
estimated to be complete April 2007.
Service Roads -- The new service roads
to Dallas North Tollway are open to traffic
Main Lanes -- TxDOT anticipates having
the main lanes complete July 2007.
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City Council Elections
Please do your part in electing our future leaders. Six individuals are running for two open City Council seats.
In Place 2, currently held by Bob Allen, the following candidates have placed their name on the ballot: Fred Pascarelli
Jeff Cheney
Bart A. Crowder
In Place 4, the seat I currently hold, the following candidates have placed their name on the ballot: David L. Prince
Chris Moss
David Preston
I wish all the candidates good luck in their quest to serve the citizens of Frisco. General information about the election can be found on the City Web Site. Voter Information can be found here:
Preston Ridge Campus,
6700 Wade Blvd.;
Frisco,
TX
Frisco Fire Station No. 4,
4485 Cotton Gin Road; Frisco, TX
Collin
County Elections Office, 2010 Redbud;
McKinney,
TX.
Monday, April 30: 8am - 5pm
Tuesday, May 1: 8am - 5pm
Wednesday, May 2: 8am - 5pm
Thursday, May 3: 8am - 7pm
Friday, May 4: 8am - 5pm
Saturday, May 5: 8am - 5pm
Monday, May 7: 7am - 7pm
Tuesday, May 8: 7am - 7pm
Saturday, May 12: 7am -
7pm
Voters are encouraged to bring their voter registration cards.
For additional information, please contact the Office of the City Secretary at (972) 292-5010 or via email at Nparker@friscotexas.gov |
HOA Presidents Meeting
This is probably one of the more informative meetings that the City holds. Unfortunately, this is also one of the least attended. If you are the president, board member or HOA Management Company of a Frisco Homeowners Association, please follow through on your committment to represent your homeowners and attend this meeting.
Also, if your HOA is not listed on the left side of this newsletter, send me your web site and info and I will list it. If you have any Questions, please e-mail me. The Agenda items for the meeting, which will be held on May 21 at 7PM at the City Council Chambers is below.
Agenda Items for 5/21/07 HOA
Presidents Meeting
1.
Animal Control - Michael Hansen
2.
Water Conservation - Gary
Hartwell
3.
Neighborhood Crime - Todd
Renshaw
4.
City Ordinances -
(Planning)
a.
Assisting HOA Violations Enforcement
b.
Governing HOA management and the
rights/responsibilities of Developers before, during and after the transition to
HOA control
5.
Parks and Rec Center update (Parks &
Rec)
6.
Roads update
(Engineering)
7.
Upcoming Events (Communications)
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Mayor's Golf Classic
The annual Mayor's Golf Classic
benefiting Frisco Family Services Center is set to be held on Monday May 7,
2007 at Stonebriar Country Club. We are pleased to announce that Baylor Medical Center at Frisco is our title sponsor
again this year.
Players of all skill levels are
welcome to join Mayor Mike Simpson and other community leaders for an exciting
day of golf while helping those in need. This four person scramble offers
participants an array of prizes including top three teams, longest drive,
closest to the pin, putting challenge and the opportunity to win a vehicle on a
hole in one. Players will have the opportunity to choose to play in a morning or
afternoon tournament followed by an awards banquet and the opportunity to bid on
fabulous auction items. There are many opportunities to get involved with this
tournament. Frisco Family
Services Center is currently looking for sponsors,
players, auction and goodie bag donations. The cost for an individual player is
$200 and includes breakfast/lunch or lunch/dinner, player gifts and more. For
those who aren't golfers, but would still like to participate, they can showcase
their business by sponsoring a hole at the tournament.
New this year is a Mayor's Golf Classic Raffle. We encourage
everyone to purchase a ticket for only $10 for a chance to win a trip to
San Jose del Cabo, Mexico and stay in a luxurious 2
bedroom penthouse condominium with airfare for 2, a widescreen flat panel HD LCD
television, a $250 Visa gift card or an I-Pod shuffle. Winner need not be
present to win.
For more information on the
tournament or to purchase raffle tickets, visit www.friscocenter.org or call Kimberly
Girard at 972-335-9495.
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City Hall 101 Citizen Editorials
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Texas Tornado Post
Season Banquet
Monday, May 7th, 2007 at 6:30pm
Please join the Texas Tornado as we celebrate
another successful season of hockey in Frisco! The Texas Tornado post-season
banquet celebration will be held at the Frisco Conference Center (across the
street from the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco), and the evening will feature:
live music, Texas Tornado season awards, a silent auction including Mark Messier
autographed memorabilia, a live jersey auction for the yellow dazzle jerseys, a
year-ending highlight video, and much more! Banquet tickets are just $25.00 and
include admission, entertainment, and buffet-style dinner. Tickets are
available by calling 972-335-9800 or online at the
Tornado Hockey website. |
Greater CC Pachyderm Club
Join the Greater Collin County Pachyderm Club Luncheon.
The speaker for May 9th will be Jason Lane. Mr. Lane is the bioterrorism coordinator for Collin County Homeland Security. Doesn't that send chills to think we have someone with this expertise in our area. He is responsible for possibly the most crucial area of potential threat to the security of Collin County.
His responsibilities include implementation and maintenance of Collin County's Bioterrorism Response Plan, overseeing the duties of the bioterrorism division employees and team members, as well as ensuring coordination with many local, state and national stakeholders.
In addition, local candidates seeking offices in Collin County have been invited to attend to meet and greet and hopefully have some campaign information for you.
We hope to see you next Wednesday, May 9th, noon - 1:00 at Ralph and Kacoos in Allen. Remember lunch is $13 (cash or check). If you plan on attending, e-mail JB Owen or call 214-618-6102.
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LANGE NAMED ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
(April 30, 2007) The
City of Frisco has promoted
Nell Lange to Assistant City
Manager.
Lange began serving the city in her new role on April
16. Since 2001, Lange has been Director of Administrative Services. Her
duties have included managing the city's Finance, Purchasing, Municipal Court
and Revenue Collection divisions. As Assistant City Manager, Lange continues to
oversee those divisions, as well as Downtown Revitalization, Community
Development Block Grants, Risk Management, Budget Administration and Facilities.
"I am very excited about the move and look forward to
new challenges," said Lange. "I'm honored the City Manager, as well as the Mayor
and Council, recognize the leadership skills I bring to complement their vision
for the city and its future. I'm very appreciative of their confidence in my
abilities."
George Purefoy, City Manager, said Lange's
professionalism, character and hard work earned her the promotion. "Nell works
as hard as anyone I've ever been around," said Purefoy. "Her tireless efforts on
behalf of Frisco have paid big dividends in regards to the quality of the city's
budgets and financial reporting. I'm confident Nell will be even more of an
asset to Frisco in her new position."
The City of Frisco has been awarded the Government
Financial Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Excellence in Financial
Reporting every year since 2000, including five years consecutively under
Lange's direction. This year, the city's Purchasing Division was recognized for
Achievement in Excellence in Procurement from the National Purchasing Institute.
Prior to Lange's hire in Frisco, Lange worked as
Director of Administration for the Arlington-based North Central Texas Council
of Governments. Lange also worked as Director of Finance for the City of
McKinney and Senior Accountant for the City of La Porte, Texas. Lange
holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in Accounting from Lamar
University. She also has completed master's courses in Public Administration at
the University of North Texas. Lange serves as the Vice President of the
TexStar Local Government Investment Pool. She has also served as past president
of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas and is a member of the
national organization, as well. Her other professional affiliations include
Leadership McKinney and the Texas Association of Regional Councils.
Lange replaces Jason Gray, who left in February to take
a job as City Administrator in the City of Celina, Texas. |
P&Z Appointments
(April 30, 2007) Applications are being accepted from
citizens interested in volunteering to serve on the City of
Frisco's Planning & Zoning Commission. The application deadline is May 11 at
5 p.m. The
Frisco City Council will appoint commissioners, who will begin serving in
July.
The Commission acts as an Advisory Board to the
Frisco City
Council. The Commission reviews and makes recommendations to Council for its
approval on zoning cases and amendments pertaining to Planning and Zoning; and
makes recommendations in updating the
City's Comprehensive Plan. The Commission reviews and takes action on site
plans and plats. This Board meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at
6:30 p.m. and regular attendance is expected.
Qualified applicants must have resided in the City of
Frisco for at least one year. Applications may be downloaded at
www.friscotexas.gov
by clicking "Government", and then linking to "Boards and Commissions".
Applications may also be picked up at the Office of the City Manager, 6101
Frisco Square Blvd., Fifth Floor.
Applications will be accepted between the hours of 8
a.m. - 5 p.m, beginning April 27th through May 11th at 5 p.m. The five page
application must be in complete form and have a resume attached. Otherwise, it
will not be accepted. Additional information may be obtained by calling
John
Lettelleir, Director of Planning & Development Services, at 972-292-5310 or
Scott Ingalls, Zoning &
Subdivision Administrator, at 972-292-5350.
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Frisco Child
Safety Day
Join
Frisco-Online and Legacy Christian
Academy as they host Frisco Child Safety Day on Saturday, May 5th from 9
a.m. - 1 p.m. The event will be held at Legacy Christian Academy at
5000 Academy Drive (directions
in pdf format) in Frisco. This is a FREE EVENT!
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Frisco Police Department ~ Fingerprinting
for Children 3 and Over (Kits will be Provided for Children Under 3);
Appearances by Mr. McGruff and the PD Robot
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Frisco Fire Department ~ Featuring the
Fire Truck and Sparky the Dog
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FREE Car Seat Safety Checks (Call
1-800-4Presby for an Appt)
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Pool Safety Information
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Centennial Medical Center ~ Free Health
Screenings
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Allergy and Asthma Solutions ~ Free Asthma
Screenings
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ECI ~ Developmental Screenings and
Information for Children Under 3
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Under the Learning Tree ~ Free Speech
Assessments
This is only a small list
of free assessments and screenings that will be available to your family at
no charge. To see a FULL list of all of our sponsors, please logon to
www.Frisco-OnLine.com for all of the details.
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MIRACLE LEAGUE OF FRISCO DEDICATES
FIELD TO MAYOR MIKE SIMPSON
(April 21, 2007) This year's Opening Day of baseball
season for the Miracle League of Frisco (MLF) also marked the dedication of the
field in honor of one of its biggest fans, Mayor Mike Simpson.
In February, a local group of volunteers organized a
Mayor's Roast, which benefited The Miracle League of Frisco and generated
donations totaling more than $32,000. Today, a check was presented to the league
during the field dedication ceremony. "It's something I'm very proud of and I'm
truly honored" said Mayor Mike Simpson. "It's all about the kids and helping
special needs children to enjoy sports in the same way other children do."
Before anyone could field a team for the league, which
offers special-needs children the opportunity to play league sports, a special
synthetic-turf field had to be constructed to allow children in wheelchairs and
walkers the chance to safely participate. "We're very privileged to have Mayor
Simpson on our team and as one of our biggest supporters," says Cacy Saffery,
MLF President. "When we brought the idea of this league before the Mayor and
Council, they never even batted an eye. they just said: "Let's do it.'"
Frisco's Community Development Corporation (FCDC) -
which is funded by a half cent of the city's sales tax - unanimously agreed to
support the construction of a Miracle Field. The FCDC agreed to provide $300,000
in additional, upfront funding bringing the total cost of the specialized field
to approximately $400,000. Since the league's inaugural baseball season last
spring, the MLF has offered four additional opportunities for special-needs
children to play sports. The league held both baseball and soccer seasons last
fall, and on April 14 concluded its spring soccer season.
The league's numbers are close to doubling since its
first season. To date, there are 70 players registered this spring. League
officials expect the number of athletes will continue to grow exponentially as
news of the league reaches more families in the special-needs community across
North Texas. Local sports organizations, such as the Frisco Soccer
Association, have taken the fledgling league under their wings and have
generously provided them with resources and support. MLF has also garnered
support from area professional sports teams, such as FC Dallas, the Frisco based
Major League Soccer team, and the Frisco Roughriders, AA affiliate of the Texas
Rangers.
"We've seen an outpouring of support from the
citizens and the local sports community," says Mr. Saffery. "These children
deserve the opportunity to play league sports just like anyone else
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and the response from so many around us has helped that opportunity become a
reality." Mr. Saffery says MLF board members have received feedback from
parents and teachers regarding the self-confidence, self-esteem and independence
that playing sports has fostered in these special-needs athletes. The games also
benefit the volunteers who accompany each athlete onto the field as a "buddy" to
help ensure their success.
"Volunteers who come out to help for the first time are
always amazed at how rewarding it is to see these kids play ball," he says.
"Once you experience it, you're hooked." To register, volunteer or donate,
contact the Miracle League of Frisco.
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Storm
Recovery - Tree Debris SPECIAL SERVICE TO PICK UP TREE DEBRIS BEGINNING TOMORROW,
MAY 5
(May 3, 2007) The City of Frisco is offering a special
service to pickup tree debris, following yesterday's storms. Beginning tomorrow,
Friday, May 4, crews will begin picking up broken tree limbs and branches in the
Preston Vineyards and Plantation Resort subdivisions, which appear to have the
greatest number of trees damaged by high winds.
Residents living elsewhere throughout the city need to
call 972-292-5900 to schedule a pickup, which will begin Monday, May 7 and
continue through Friday, May 11.
- Special service guidelines for tree and/or limb debris
are as follows:
- Must be less than 8 inches in diameter;
- Must be less than 80 pounds, per unit (limb,
trunk);
- Cannot exceed 15 feet in length;
- Must be placed at the curb or alley, whichever is closest
to where damage occurred.
"We don't expect people to drag their debris from the
front yard to the alley, but we do need to ask it be placed curbside or in the
alley to allow us to provide efficient and convenient service in a timely
manner," said Pippa Couvillion, Environmental Services Manager.
On Saturday, May 5, the City of Frisco will also provide
two special drop off sites for tree debris, only.
The two Saturday drop off sites are as
follows:
- Shawnee Trail Park, Northeast corner parking lot, 6501
Hillcrest
- Environmental Collection Center, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., 6726
Walnut
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Upcoming Meetings
City Council: Tuesday, May 15 at 5:30PM
P&Z: Tuesday, May 8 at 6:30PM. Neighborhood Watch General Meeting: May 21 at 7:30PM
For these & additional meetings, see the Community & Meeting Calendar
New Frisco City Hall Address
6101 Frisco Square Blvd. Frisco, TX 75034 |
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