Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR515 Compare Versions

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 515
2	2	WHEREAS, Residents from Collin County are gathering in
3	3	Austin on March 28 and 29, 2017, to celebrate Collin County Days
4	4	at the State Capitol; and
5	5	WHEREAS, Collin County is one of the largest and
6	6	fastest-growing counties in the state; more than 90 percent of
7	7	its workforce over the age of 25 hold a high school diploma and
8	8	about half have earned at least a bachelor's degree; such highly
9	9	skilled workers also make the county a leader in job growth; and
10	10	WHEREAS, With a population of 277,000, Plano is the largest
11	11	city in the county and home to six Fortune 1000 companies,
12	12	including JC Penney, Alliance Data Systems, Cinemark Holdings,
13	13	Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Rent-A-Center, and Denbury Resources;
14	14	Toyota has established its North American headquarters in Plano,
15	15	as has Hilti Corporation; the city has been named the number one
16	16	Best Place to Live in America and the Best Place to Live in Texas
17	17	by Money magazine, the number one city to find a job by WalletHub,
18	18	and the fifth-ranked 2016 Best Performing City by the Milken
19	19	Institute; this thriving municipality boasts nationally
20	20	recognized schools, award-winning parks, a lively historic
21	21	downtown district, and multicultural neighborhoods that appeal
22	22	equally to families, young singles, and retirees; its excellent
23	23	restaurants, vibrant shopping districts, exciting entertainment
24	24	venues, and active local arts scene all contribute to the city's
25	25	high quality of life; and
26	26	WHEREAS, County seat and home of the McKinney National
27	27	Airport, the city of McKinney hosts such major employers as the
28	28	aerospace division of Raytheon Company, Encore Wire Corporation,
29	29	Emerson Process Management, and Torchmark Corporation; recent
30	30	relocations include Service First Mortgage and Aramark's first
31	31	"clean room" in Texas; furthermore, the city's historic downtown
32	32	encompasses more than 130 boutiques, and it earned the ranking of
33	33	#1 Best Place to Live 2014 from Money magazine; and
34	34	WHEREAS, Allen is a dynamic and welcoming home to more than
35	35	98,000 residents and has been ranked among the safest, most
36	36	affordable, and most family-friendly cities nationwide, and the
37	37	city continues enhancing the Texas workforce through the
38	38	addition and expansion of such international companies as KONE,
39	39	IntelliEPI, and WatchGuard Video; in 2016, the city received the
40	40	coveted National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal
41	41	award for its creation and stewardship of more than 1,100 acres
42	42	of parkland, 67 parks and facilities, and 62 miles of
43	43	hike-and-bike trails; moreover, its volunteer efforts were
44	44	recognized with the 2016 Keep Texas Beautiful Governor's
45	45	Community Achievement Award for efforts in environmental
46	46	education, community beautification, and litter prevention; and
47	47	WHEREAS, Defining "Progress in Motion," Frisco is one of
48	48	the fastest-growing cities in the country and the
49	49	fastest-growing community over the past decade, according to the
50	50	United States census bureau; it has maintained its quality of
51	51	life amid rapid development, and the Dallas Morning News named
52	52	Frisco among its top 10 suburbs for schools, safety, families
53	53	with children, young adults, empty nesters, and "Best Overall"
54	54	neighborhoods; known for top-notch public safety services, the
55	55	city received the highest rating for fire protection, and it
56	56	enjoys one of the lowest crime rates, as well as low taxes; this
57	57	once-small town is home to Collin College, Preston Ridge Campus,
58	58	world-class venues, and five professional sports teams, namely
59	59	the Frisco Roughriders, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, Texas Legends,
60	60	and Dallas Cowboys; active residents have access to 49 parks, 86
61	61	miles of trails, and an athletic center featuring an outdoor
62	62	water park; health care facilities include three hospitals, and
63	63	the favorable business climate supports more than nine million
64	64	square feet of retail and restaurants; among the cultural
65	65	amenities are three museums and hundreds of public and private
66	66	art installations displayed throughout Frisco's approximately
67	67	70-square-mile area; and
68	68	WHEREAS, The City of Wylie, Wylie Independent School
69	69	District, Wylie Chamber of Commerce, and Wylie Economic
70	70	Development Corporation work in concert to build a strong
71	71	community that strives to honor the past, embrace the present,
72	72	and plan for the future, while valuing unity, relationships, and
73	73	trust, as evidenced by a recent report naming Wylie the best
74	74	small city in the country in which to raise a family, and the
75	75	hottest suburb in Texas; Wylie fosters a spirit of cooperation,
76	76	and with a thriving business environment and outstanding
77	77	schools, it is a place people treasure and proudly call home; and
78	78	WHEREAS, The city of Richardson, which is known globally
79	79	for its high-tech business leadership, is home to the Telecom
80	80	Corridor area; Richardson offers a high quality of life, a
81	81	diverse array of neighborhoods, and easy access to a multimodal
82	82	transportation infrastructure; the city has repeatedly been
83	83	recognized as one of the top places to live, work, and obtain an
84	84	education by national and local media, and it remains dedicated
85	85	to continued improvement as well as to the principles of open
86	86	government and two-way communication with residents; and
87	87	WHEREAS, The city of Murphy, an affluent residential
88	88	community in southeastern Collin County, has maintained its
89	89	designation as a top 10 Best Suburb by D magazine since the
90	90	inception of the ratings; Murphy boasts over 219 acres of
91	91	parkland, and it has rich community programs along with a
92	92	culturally diverse, highly educated population of over 20,000;
93	93	exciting new businesses have joined an engaging business
94	94	community, and residents take pride in the city's ranking as the
95	95	third-safest city in North Texas and the fifth safest in the
96	96	state; and
97	97	WHEREAS, Recognized by D magazine as a top 10 suburb,
98	98	Prosper issued 669 single-family housing permits in 2016, and the
99	99	city has 1.1 million square feet of commercial development under
100	100	construction with an additional 530,000 square feet of
101	101	shovel-ready projects due to break ground in 2017; it is home to
102	102	several top housing developers, including Blue Star Development,
103	103	LandPlan Development, and Terra Verde Group; the Prosper
104	104	Independent School District has been voted by the Dallas Morning
105	105	News as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Dallas/Fort Worth for
106	106	three consecutive years, and the district continues to be one of
107	107	the state and national leaders in student growth; moreover, the
108	108	city's outstanding police department offers such community
109	109	outreach and crime prevention programs as Citizens on Patrol, the
110	110	Citizens Police Academy, the Community Safety Initiative, and
111	111	Smart911; and
112	112	WHEREAS, Having been a platinum-level Scenic City in Texas
113	113	since 2011, Fairview has also been recognized as a Tree City USA
114	114	and earned a 2011 Growing Green Cities Award, and it is home to
115	115	the first street in Texas to be illuminated by LED lighting; the
116	116	town is a three-time recipient of the Texas Municipal League
117	117	Municipal Excellence Award, and it earned a Certificate of
118	118	Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the
119	119	Government Finance Officers Association for fiscal years ending
120	120	in 2014 and 2015; moreover, the Texas Chapter of the American
121	121	Planning Association honored Fairview with a Certificate of
122	122	Achievement for Planning Excellence in 2015 and 2016, and the
123	123	town's Veterans Park has been recognized with a Patriotic
124	124	Achievement Award from the Military Order of the World Wars;
125	125	Fairview also features two of the Top 25 Best School Districts in
126	126	Texas as ranked by Niche.com; and
127	127	WHEREAS, The crossroads of the developing transportation
128	128	corridor in northern Collin County, Celina is growing rapidly
129	129	while retaining its respect for the traditional values of family
130	130	and heritage; its school district is rich in academic and
131	131	athletic achievement, with the Celina Bobcats earning pride of
132	132	place as the winners of eight state football championships; and
133	133	WHEREAS, Lucas has maintained a peaceful, rural lifestyle,
134	134	helping to sustain a high quality of life for its citizens; the
135	135	city is pleased to offer 25 miles of trails along Lake Lavon for
136	136	equestrian enthusiasts and continues to focus on wildlife
137	137	habitat preservation, making it the perfect home for the
138	138	Blackland Prairie Raptor Center; moreover, exceptional schools
139	139	and a vibrant residential market, combined with one of the lowest
140	140	tax rates in Collin County, make Lucas an excellent value for its
141	141	residents; and
142	142	WHEREAS, The citizens of Parker are proud to be living in D
143	143	magazine's number two suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,
144	144	and they also enjoy a low municipal tax rate, as well as a AAA
145	145	bond rating; the residents number about 4,500, and they cherish
146	146	their uniquely "country" lifestyle; characterized by its large
147	147	lots and comfortable atmosphere, Parker is known to millions of
148	148	television viewers as the home of the legendary Southfork Ranch
149	149	from Dallas; and
150	150	WHEREAS, One of the fastest-growing cities in the
151	151	Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the city of Anna is a
152	152	family-friendly community with hometown appeal; its residents
153	153	enjoy an unhurried and friendly atmosphere, with safe
154	154	neighborhoods, excellent schools, and access to many urban
155	155	amenities; local businesses benefit from affordable real estate,
156	156	a low cost of doing business, a well-educated workforce, an
157	157	active chamber of commerce, and dedicated consumers; and
158	158	WHEREAS, Farmersville, located 15 miles east of McKinney,
159	159	took its name from the primary occupation of its original
160	160	residents; established in 1849 as a settlement on the
161	161	Jefferson-McKinney Road and near the Republic of Texas National
162	162	Road, the town was incorporated in 1873; agriculture kept pace as
163	163	it became a trade center, and in the 1930s, Farmersville shipped
164	164	over 1,000 carloads of onions annually, earning the nickname
165	165	"Onion Capital of North Texas"; the city may be best known for
166	166	native son Audie Murphy, who listed Farmersville as his hometown
167	167	when he enlisted in the army during World War II and returned home
168	168	to a hero's welcome in 1945; he had earned every army citation for
169	169	valor, was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and
170	170	was posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor;
171	171	Farmersville has a nationally recognized Main Street Program,
172	172	with many historic downtown buildings, eateries, and shopping
173	173	attractions; near the restored Onion Shed is the trailhead for
174	174	the 130-mile Northeast Texas Trail, a beautiful site for walking,
175	175	hiking, and bicycling; and
176	176	WHEREAS, Settled in the mid-1850s, the city of Lavon is
177	177	nestled along the southeastern shore of Lake Lavon; more than
178	178	3,000 residents enjoy the friendliness of the small-town
179	179	atmosphere combined with the benefits of living near an exciting
180	180	metro area; the city's growing parks and trail system, planned
181	181	capital improvements, pursuit of quality retail and commercial
182	182	businesses, and commitment to service contribute to the
183	183	outstanding quality of life; and
184	184	WHEREAS, Other communities add much to Collin County's
185	185	allure; the growing community of Blue Ridge is committed to
186	186	revitalizing its downtown, while the people of Josephine are
187	187	proud of their active volunteer fire department, which not only
188	188	protects the community but hosts such popular annual events as
189	189	the Easter egg hunt and the Christmas parade; and
190	190	WHEREAS, Also contributing to the development of Collin
191	191	County are the residents of Copeville, Lowry Crossing, Melissa,
192	192	Nevada, New Hope, Princeton, Royse City, Sachse, St. Paul,
193	193	Westminster, and Weston, along with parts of Dallas and Garland,
194	194	and these communities play an important part in the county's
195	195	flourishing, diversified economy and its quality of life; and
196	196	WHEREAS, The citizens of this notable North Texas county
197	197	are working to preserve the best of their past even as they look
198	198	forward to a bright and promising future, and they are sure to
199	199	figure prominently in the growth and prosperity of the Lone Star
200	200	State in the years ahead; now, therefore, be it
201	201	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
202	202	Legislature, hereby recognize March 28 and 29, 2017, as Collin
203	203	County Days at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting
204	204	delegation sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable
205	205	stay in Austin.
206	206	Taylor of Collin, Estes
207	207	________________________________
208	208	President of the Senate
209	209	I hereby certify that the
210	210	above Resolution was adopted by
211	211	the Senate on March 29, 2017.
212	212	________________________________
213	213	Secretary of the Senate
214	214	________________________________
215	215	Member, Texas Senate
216	216	________________________________
217	217	Member, Texas Senate