Bill Text: TX SR515 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing March 28 and 29, 2017, as Collin County Days.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-03-29 - Reported enrolled [SR515 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SR515-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Residents from Collin County are gathering in | ||
Austin on March 28 and 29, 2017, to celebrate Collin County Days | ||
at the State Capitol; and | ||
WHEREAS, Collin County is one of the largest and | ||
fastest-growing counties in the state; more than 90 percent of | ||
its workforce over the age of 25 hold a high school diploma and | ||
about half have earned at least a bachelor's degree; such highly | ||
skilled workers also make the county a leader in job growth; and | ||
WHEREAS, With a population of 277,000, Plano is the largest | ||
city in the county and home to six Fortune 1000 companies, | ||
including JC Penney, Alliance Data Systems, Cinemark Holdings, | ||
Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Rent-A-Center, and Denbury Resources; | ||
Toyota has established its North American headquarters in Plano, | ||
as has Hilti Corporation; the city has been named the number one | ||
Best Place to Live in America and the Best Place to Live in Texas | ||
by Money magazine, the number one city to find a job by WalletHub, | ||
and the fifth-ranked 2016 Best Performing City by the Milken | ||
Institute; this thriving municipality boasts nationally | ||
recognized schools, award-winning parks, a lively historic | ||
downtown district, and multicultural neighborhoods that appeal | ||
equally to families, young singles, and retirees; its excellent | ||
restaurants, vibrant shopping districts, exciting entertainment | ||
venues, and active local arts scene all contribute to the city's | ||
high quality of life; and | ||
WHEREAS, County seat and home of the McKinney National | ||
Airport, the city of McKinney hosts such major employers as the | ||
aerospace division of Raytheon Company, Encore Wire Corporation, | ||
Emerson Process Management, and Torchmark Corporation; recent | ||
relocations include Service First Mortgage and Aramark's first | ||
"clean room" in Texas; furthermore, the city's historic downtown | ||
encompasses more than 130 boutiques, and it earned the ranking of | ||
#1 Best Place to Live 2014 from Money magazine; and | ||
WHEREAS, Allen is a dynamic and welcoming home to more than | ||
98,000 residents and has been ranked among the safest, most | ||
affordable, and most family-friendly cities nationwide, and the | ||
city continues enhancing the Texas workforce through the | ||
addition and expansion of such international companies as KONE, | ||
IntelliEPI, and WatchGuard Video; in 2016, the city received the | ||
coveted National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal | ||
award for its creation and stewardship of more than 1,100 acres | ||
of parkland, 67 parks and facilities, and 62 miles of | ||
hike-and-bike trails; moreover, its volunteer efforts were | ||
recognized with the 2016 Keep Texas Beautiful Governor's | ||
Community Achievement Award for efforts in environmental | ||
education, community beautification, and litter prevention; and | ||
WHEREAS, Defining "Progress in Motion," Frisco is one of | ||
the fastest-growing cities in the country and the | ||
fastest-growing community over the past decade, according to the | ||
United States census bureau; it has maintained its quality of | ||
life amid rapid development, and the Dallas Morning News named | ||
Frisco among its top 10 suburbs for schools, safety, families | ||
with children, young adults, empty nesters, and "Best Overall" | ||
neighborhoods; known for top-notch public safety services, the | ||
city received the highest rating for fire protection, and it | ||
enjoys one of the lowest crime rates, as well as low taxes; this | ||
once-small town is home to Collin College, Preston Ridge Campus, | ||
world-class venues, and five professional sports teams, namely | ||
the Frisco Roughriders, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, Texas Legends, | ||
and Dallas Cowboys; active residents have access to 49 parks, 86 | ||
miles of trails, and an athletic center featuring an outdoor | ||
water park; health care facilities include three hospitals, and | ||
the favorable business climate supports more than nine million | ||
square feet of retail and restaurants; among the cultural | ||
amenities are three museums and hundreds of public and private | ||
art installations displayed throughout Frisco's approximately | ||
70-square-mile area; and | ||
WHEREAS, The City of Wylie, Wylie Independent School | ||
District, Wylie Chamber of Commerce, and Wylie Economic | ||
Development Corporation work in concert to build a strong | ||
community that strives to honor the past, embrace the present, | ||
and plan for the future, while valuing unity, relationships, and | ||
trust, as evidenced by a recent report naming Wylie the best | ||
small city in the country in which to raise a family, and the | ||
hottest suburb in Texas; Wylie fosters a spirit of cooperation, | ||
and with a thriving business environment and outstanding | ||
schools, it is a place people treasure and proudly call home; and | ||
WHEREAS, The city of Richardson, which is known globally | ||
for its high-tech business leadership, is home to the Telecom | ||
Corridor area; Richardson offers a high quality of life, a | ||
diverse array of neighborhoods, and easy access to a multimodal | ||
transportation infrastructure; the city has repeatedly been | ||
recognized as one of the top places to live, work, and obtain an | ||
education by national and local media, and it remains dedicated | ||
to continued improvement as well as to the principles of open | ||
government and two-way communication with residents; and | ||
WHEREAS, The city of Murphy, an affluent residential | ||
community in southeastern Collin County, has maintained its | ||
designation as a top 10 Best Suburb by D magazine since the | ||
inception of the ratings; Murphy boasts over 219 acres of | ||
parkland, and it has rich community programs along with a | ||
culturally diverse, highly educated population of over 20,000; | ||
exciting new businesses have joined an engaging business | ||
community, and residents take pride in the city's ranking as the | ||
third-safest city in North Texas and the fifth safest in the | ||
state; and | ||
WHEREAS, Recognized by D magazine as a top 10 suburb, | ||
Prosper issued 669 single-family housing permits in 2016, and the | ||
city has 1.1 million square feet of commercial development under | ||
construction with an additional 530,000 square feet of | ||
shovel-ready projects due to break ground in 2017; it is home to | ||
several top housing developers, including Blue Star Development, | ||
LandPlan Development, and Terra Verde Group; the Prosper | ||
Independent School District has been voted by the Dallas Morning | ||
News as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Dallas/Fort Worth for | ||
three consecutive years, and the district continues to be one of | ||
the state and national leaders in student growth; moreover, the | ||
city's outstanding police department offers such community | ||
outreach and crime prevention programs as Citizens on Patrol, the | ||
Citizens Police Academy, the Community Safety Initiative, and | ||
Smart911; and | ||
WHEREAS, Having been a platinum-level Scenic City in Texas | ||
since 2011, Fairview has also been recognized as a Tree City USA | ||
and earned a 2011 Growing Green Cities Award, and it is home to | ||
the first street in Texas to be illuminated by LED lighting; the | ||
town is a three-time recipient of the Texas Municipal League | ||
Municipal Excellence Award, and it earned a Certificate of | ||
Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the | ||
Government Finance Officers Association for fiscal years ending | ||
in 2014 and 2015; moreover, the Texas Chapter of the American | ||
Planning Association honored Fairview with a Certificate of | ||
Achievement for Planning Excellence in 2015 and 2016, and the | ||
town's Veterans Park has been recognized with a Patriotic | ||
Achievement Award from the Military Order of the World Wars; | ||
Fairview also features two of the Top 25 Best School Districts in | ||
Texas as ranked by Niche.com; and | ||
WHEREAS, The crossroads of the developing transportation | ||
corridor in northern Collin County, Celina is growing rapidly | ||
while retaining its respect for the traditional values of family | ||
and heritage; its school district is rich in academic and | ||
athletic achievement, with the Celina Bobcats earning pride of | ||
place as the winners of eight state football championships; and | ||
WHEREAS, Lucas has maintained a peaceful, rural lifestyle, | ||
helping to sustain a high quality of life for its citizens; the | ||
city is pleased to offer 25 miles of trails along Lake Lavon for | ||
equestrian enthusiasts and continues to focus on wildlife | ||
habitat preservation, making it the perfect home for the | ||
Blackland Prairie Raptor Center; moreover, exceptional schools | ||
and a vibrant residential market, combined with one of the lowest | ||
tax rates in Collin County, make Lucas an excellent value for its | ||
residents; and | ||
WHEREAS, The citizens of Parker are proud to be living in D | ||
magazine's number two suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, | ||
and they also enjoy a low municipal tax rate, as well as a AAA | ||
bond rating; the residents number about 4,500, and they cherish | ||
their uniquely "country" lifestyle; characterized by its large | ||
lots and comfortable atmosphere, Parker is known to millions of | ||
television viewers as the home of the legendary Southfork Ranch | ||
from Dallas; and | ||
WHEREAS, One of the fastest-growing cities in the | ||
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the city of Anna is a | ||
family-friendly community with hometown appeal; its residents | ||
enjoy an unhurried and friendly atmosphere, with safe | ||
neighborhoods, excellent schools, and access to many urban | ||
amenities; local businesses benefit from affordable real estate, | ||
a low cost of doing business, a well-educated workforce, an | ||
active chamber of commerce, and dedicated consumers; and | ||
WHEREAS, Farmersville, located 15 miles east of McKinney, | ||
took its name from the primary occupation of its original | ||
residents; established in 1849 as a settlement on the | ||
Jefferson-McKinney Road and near the Republic of Texas National | ||
Road, the town was incorporated in 1873; agriculture kept pace as | ||
it became a trade center, and in the 1930s, Farmersville shipped | ||
over 1,000 carloads of onions annually, earning the nickname | ||
"Onion Capital of North Texas"; the city may be best known for | ||
native son Audie Murphy, who listed Farmersville as his hometown | ||
when he enlisted in the army during World War II and returned home | ||
to a hero's welcome in 1945; he had earned every army citation for | ||
valor, was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and | ||
was posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor; | ||
Farmersville has a nationally recognized Main Street Program, | ||
with many historic downtown buildings, eateries, and shopping | ||
attractions; near the restored Onion Shed is the trailhead for | ||
the 130-mile Northeast Texas Trail, a beautiful site for walking, | ||
hiking, and bicycling; and | ||
WHEREAS, Settled in the mid-1850s, the city of Lavon is | ||
nestled along the southeastern shore of Lake Lavon; more than | ||
3,000 residents enjoy the friendliness of the small-town | ||
atmosphere combined with the benefits of living near an exciting | ||
metro area; the city's growing parks and trail system, planned | ||
capital improvements, pursuit of quality retail and commercial | ||
businesses, and commitment to service contribute to the | ||
outstanding quality of life; and | ||
WHEREAS, Other communities add much to Collin County's | ||
allure; the growing community of Blue Ridge is committed to | ||
revitalizing its downtown, while the people of Josephine are | ||
proud of their active volunteer fire department, which not only | ||
protects the community but hosts such popular annual events as | ||
the Easter egg hunt and the Christmas parade; and | ||
WHEREAS, Also contributing to the development of Collin | ||
County are the residents of Copeville, Lowry Crossing, Melissa, | ||
Nevada, New Hope, Princeton, Royse City, Sachse, St. Paul, | ||
Westminster, and Weston, along with parts of Dallas and Garland, | ||
and these communities play an important part in the county's | ||
flourishing, diversified economy and its quality of life; and | ||
WHEREAS, The citizens of this notable North Texas county | ||
are working to preserve the best of their past even as they look | ||
forward to a bright and promising future, and they are sure to | ||
figure prominently in the growth and prosperity of the Lone Star | ||
State in the years ahead; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th | ||
Legislature, hereby recognize March 28 and 29, 2017, as Collin | ||
County Days at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting | ||
delegation sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable | ||
stay in Austin. | ||
Taylor of Collin, Estes | ||
________________________________ | ||
President of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that the | ||
above Resolution was adopted by | ||
the Senate on March 29, 2017. | ||
________________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
________________________________ | ||
Member, Texas Senate | ||
________________________________ | ||
Member, Texas Senate |