City of The Colony Electronic Newsletter • Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019

TCFD hosts 9-11 Memorial Dedication & Open House at Station No. 4

Please join special guest Mayor Joe McCourry and members of The Colony Fire and Police departments at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, at Fire Station No. 4 for a candlelight service as our piece of the World Trade Center moves to its permanent home at the 9/11 Memorial at the new firehouse. Open House tours of the new fire station (3400 Plano Parkway, The Colony, behind Nebraska Furniture Mart), will follow the memorial service. More information online.

Red Bull Soapbox Race returns to The Colony on Sept. 28

Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, in Austin Ranch, the City of The Colony will once again play host to the Red Bull Soapbox Race-DFW, an international event in which amateur drivers race homemade soapbox vehicles. The event was held previously in The Colony in 2012. This unique event challenges both experienced racers and amateurs alike to design and build outrageous soapbox dream-machines and compete against the clock in a downhill race. Red Bull has held more than 100 soapbox races around the world since the first one in Brussels in 2000. More information about the race is available online. For more on this and other events taking place in The Colony this month, check out the latest roundup from your Convention & Visitors Bureau.

City Council continues considerations for FY19-20 budget

At its most recent regular meeting on Sept. 3, The Colony City Council continued discussion regarding the Fiscal Year 2019-20 preliminary city budget. It also conducted the first of two public hearings on the proposed 2019-20 tax rate, not to exceed $0.66 per $100 valuation, which represents a 1/4-cent reduction to the previous year's rate. The second public hearing, as well as a formal vote to adopt the tax rate and budget, will take place at its next regular meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17.

TCPD annual report now available

The Colony Police Department's annual report is now available online. The 2018 report details the department's leadership, accomplishments for the past year, statistics, programs and services, departmental contact information, and much more.

The community is also invited to an upcoming "Back The Blue Event" from noon to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Urban8, 5625 SH 121 in The Colony. The event is hosted by The Colony Citizens Police Academy Alumni organization. More information is available on social media.

Fall Clean-Up set for Oct. 19 at Hawaiian Falls

It's never too early to start planning for the annual City-Wide Fall Clean-Up, set for Saturday, Oct. 19, in the parking lot of Hawaiian Falls. With proof of residency, residents may drop-off a variety of items for convenient disposal. All the details are available on our website.

Check out the Internet from TCPL!

Need the internet at home? Or, have you needed to connect while you're on vacation or a business trip? Good news! We're excited to announce that The Colony Public Library cardholders can now check out the internet. As of last month, mobile hotspots are available to circulate at the Library. Here are a few quick facts about our new service:

Must be 17+ with valid TCPL library card and photo ID;
Hotspots check out for one (1) week and may be renewed up to two (2) times if no other holds are pending;
Hotspots are on the T-Mobile cellular network;
Hotspots have unlimited data (throttling may occur after 50GB);
Up to 15 devices may be connected to one hotspot;
Users are responsible for restitution fees for lost and/or damaged hotspots; and,
Hotspots must be checked out and checked in at the Circulation Desk in person.

Stop by today (6800 Main St.) and check one out - happy surfing!

What else is In THE News?

Award-winning CVB: The Colony Convention & Visitors Bureau recently brought home three trophies from the annual TACVB Conference, including a Judge’s Choice Award for Best in Sports Marketing for all budget categories for its online golf guide. Visit our website for the full story.
VOA Classic coming soon: Got your tickets? Volunteering? The Volunteers of America Classic LPGA tournament is just around the corner - Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 at the Old American Golf Club, to be exact. Check out all the details online.
Behind the Scenes with Public Works: On Aug. 26, the city’s Communications staff had the pleasure of going behind the scenes with Public Works to learn more about the department’s schedules & processes for maintaining the city’s alleys, sidewalks, and residential streets. Learn more on the city's blog.
TCFD battles fires on Strickland: At about 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, units from The Colony Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 4700 block of Strickland Avenue. Full story online.