CITY & SCHOOLS
News from Richardson, Richardson ISD & Collin College
Richardson City Council meets June 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 6 p.m. Due to a re at City Hall, council meetings have been temporarily relocated to the Richardson Police Department at 600 N. Greenville Ave. www.cor.net Richardson ISD board of trustees meets June 8 at 6 p.m. at the RISD Administration Building, 400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. The meetings are streamed live online at www.risd.org. MEETINGS WE COVER or a $5,000 minimum. Property tax exemptions were raised to $100,000 for residents age 65 and older as well as residents with disabilities. Previously, the homestead exemption was 1% or a $5,000 minimum, and the property tax exemption was between $20,000-$30,000. HIGHLIGHTS COLLIN COLLEGE New tax exemption rates are set for qualifying Collin County residents. The increase in the local homestead and property exemptions will save taxpayers $8.2 million in the rst year, according to the college’s board of trustees. The homestead exemption is now set at 20% of a home’s appraised value
Mayor, newcomers join incumbents on City Council BY JACKSON KING
RISD incumbents win re-election
Richardson pools slated to be fully open this summer
CITY COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS
In the election, 8.04% of registered voters in Collin County cast ballots, while 8.84% did in Dallas County.
BY KEVIN CUMMINGS
CITY MAYOR Bob Dubey Janet DePuy 51.58% 48.42%
RICHARDSON ISD Incumbents Debbie Rentería and Eric Eager will serve new terms on the board of trustees. In the May 6 election, Rentería faced challenger Bonnie Abadie in the single-member District 3 race, while in the at-large Place 6 election, Blake Sawyer challenged Eager. Rentería received 64.69% of votes, while Eager received 56.72% of votes. Board members serve three-year staggered terms and are not subject to term limits. Five of the seven seats on the board are chosen by registered voters of speci c districts, while the remaining two seats are elected at large by all voters. This voting system is the result of a lawsuit settled in early 2019 that accused the board of Voting Rights Act violations. Rentería and Eager were both rst elected in 2020.
Incumbent Ken Hutchenrider won out against Todd Hunter to earn his re-election bid for the City Council Place 5 seat with over 66% of total votes. “I’m very humbled to have such overwhelming support from the peo- ple of Richardson,” Hutchenrider said. “I’m excited to continue my work and service to our community in a very transparent and communicative fashion with all of our community.” In the mayoral race, Dubey earned 4,909 total votes, or 51.58%, while DePuy received 48.42% of votes. Incumbents Jennifer Justice, Joe Corcoran and Are n Shamsul won re-election uncontested for City Council places 2, 4 and 6, respectively. The mayor and all council members are elected to two-year terms with no member allowed to serve more than six consecutive two-year terms in any place, according to city o cials.
BY JACKSON KING
RICHARDSON Following the May 6 election, Richardson has a new mayor and two new members joining four returning incumbents on City Council. In the race to ll the Place 1 seat left open by Bob Dubey, who was elected mayor, Curtis Dorian earned just over 54% of total votes to beat opponent G. Scott Waddell. Dan Barrios defeated Stephen Springs with over 64% of the vote for the City Council Place 3 seat, which was left open as Janet DePuy challenged Dubey. “This campaign from day one has always been about people,” Barrios said. “I’m honored that I have this kind of support and that the com- munity came out in great numbers to vote. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to serving Richardson in this new capacity.”
RICHARDSON Residents will have full use of all neighborhood pools and The Heights Family Aquatic Center for the rst time since 2019, accord- ing to a May 1 City Council meeting. The pools and aquatics center were either closed or opened in a limited capacity due to the pandemic and sta ng shortages, despite Richardson Parks and Recreation o cials o ering bonuses
The Heights Family Aquatic Center re-opens this summer after being closed last season.
COURTESY CITY OF RICHARDSON
PLACE 1 G. Scott Waddell
and other incentives. According to city o cials, it takes three times as many lifeguards to operate the aquatic center compared to other pool facilities. This year, city o cials announced 114 aquatics positions were lled for
the summer, including all 79 life- guards that are required. City o cials said increasing pay for various positions, paying for lifeguard certi cations and a holiday hiring push helped attract and retain workers for this summer. with the rest expected to come from a $16.5 million insurance settlement and more than $22 million in 2021 bond funding. No tax rate increase is associated with the bond, according to city o cials. Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and nish by 2026.
Curtis Dorian 45.96% 54.04% PLACE 3 Dan Barrios
Stephen Springs 64.36% 35.64%
Voters approve $46M bond for new city hall
PLACE 5 Todd Hunter
RICHARDSON With a bond approved, Richardson is set to get a new City Hall. In Collin and Dallas counties, 69.7% of voters cast ballots in favor of BY JACKSON KING
the bond. The measure will raise $46 million to help pay for the construction of a new City Hall at its existing location following an August re. The money would cover a portion of the costs,
33.78% 66.22%
Ken Hutchenrider*
*INCUMBENT SOURCES: COLLIN COUNTY, DALLAS COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
DALLAS 9500 North Central Expressway (214) 369-2800 ADDISON 15055 Inwood Road (972) 239-5891
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