Government
BY MICHAEL CROUCHLEY, CONNOR PITTMAN & DUSTIN BUTLER
PISD approves school marshal program Plano ISD is set to implement a school marshal program intended to “enhance school safety,” according to a news release from the district. The PISD board of trustees unanimously passed the resolution during its Aug. 8 meeting. What’s happening? The new program sets out to provide armed security at 50 school campuses, along with six additional o cers for back ll. House Bill 3, which requires districts to sta every campus with security. The district already had school resource o cers stationed at secondary grade level who also did daily rotations at elementary schools.
Plano residents set for utility rate increases Plano residents will see increases to some of their utility and service costs starting Oct. 1. The costs re ect higher rates the city is paying for contracts to obtain water or sewer services, along with increased personnel and equipment cost for trash and recycling services based on presentations during to Plano City Council. What you need to know Director of Budget and Research Karen Rhodes-Whitley said the wholesale water rate from the North Texas Municipal Water District was $3.69 per thousand gallons, a 9% increase instead of the original proposed 11%. Wastewater increases from the district total around 10%, she added. To cope with the increased costs of both water and sewer service, the city is proposing two sepa- rate increases: 6% for water customers and 3% for sewer. Rhodes-Whitley said the average residential
Plano continues STR discussions
“I think it’s very important that we recognize that water costs are going up; the growth of the region is demanding
additional water resources; so the trajectory of water rates is going to continue to increase.” MARK ISRAELSON, CITY MANAGER
The city is hoping to reach a conclusion on how to regulate short-term rentals in Feb. 2024, Plano Director of Planning Christina Day said. Day presented an update on Plano’s research into short-term rentals—including data collection and a task force—during the Aug. 28 city council meeting. The details The city is currently in the rst phase of the study focusing on data collection, Day said, and working to verify data collected by a third-party with the Public Safety Commu- nications system. The task Force will reconvene after the open house concludes to review the data col- lected. Findings will be reported in October.
Collin College held a signing ceremony for its new automotive technician program at the school’s technical college in Allen.
MICHAEL CROUCHLEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Collin College launches automotive program Collin College partnered with Toyota to o er the Toyota Technician Education Network, or TTEN, program. The details The program is meant to serve as a fast track for students looking to serve as technicians in Toyota
or Lexus dealerships by providing training on the latest technology in Toyota vehicles. The TTEN program is available at Collin College’s technical campus in Allen. The program launched this fall semester. Quote of note “This program gives students an opportunity to receive exceptional training in a high-demand eld,” Collin College District President Neil Matkin said. “Students will gain mentoring and internship opportunities to better prepare them in their careers.”
customer with 10,000 gallons of monthly water usage and 5,000 gallons for wastewater would see a $4.48 monthly increase, or about 4.8% from their current bill. Solid waste customers will also see increases depending on the size and amount of their trash or recycling receptacles. Rhodes-Whitley attributed the cost increases to more expensive fuel and equipment, personnel-related expenditures and in ation.
PLANO 5930 West Park Blvd (972) 250-0500
ALLEN 1839 N Central Expressway (972) 908-3488
EAST PLANO 3404 N Central Expressway (972) 423-6688
COIT ROAD 1453 Coit Rd (972) 867-2821
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