‘Fixer Upper’ fan? See page 1C
©Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Volume 69 Issue 11
WEDC budget presented
THE WYLIE NEWS Covering Wylie and the surrounding area since 1948
Wylie, Texas
•
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
•
C&S Media Publications
•
Backing the Blue
3 Sections, 18 Pages
75 cents
By Joe Reavis
Sales tax revenue rises
news@wylienews.com
news@wylienews.com
From Staff Reports
Staff Writer
A proposed budget of $4.5 million for Wylie Economic Development Corporation was presented last week to Wylie City Council by WEDC Executive Sam Satterwhite. WEDC is an independent arm of the city, funded with proceeds from a half-cent sales tax. Funds are used to attract new businesses to town and to retain existing businesses. The WEDC currently is participating in 14 projects with businesses. Revenue for 2016-17 is $2.47 million from sales taxes, $1.47 million from the sale of a business site, $465,686 beginning fund balance, $11,958 in notes receivable and $72,600 in lease income. Expense items are personnel, $385,466; small business center, $5,000; incentives, $1.17 million; special See REGIONAL page 6A
The city of Wylie receives a sales tax reimbursement check from the Texas State Comptroller this month for $850,479, a 32.9 percent increase from a year ago. Reimbursements to Texas cities were distributed by the comptroller this month for taxes collected on retail sales made in May. In July 2015, the check to Wylie was $639,893. This year the city has been reimbursed $5.5 million, an 11.25 percent increase from the $4.95 million received for the same period in 2015. Statewide, the comptroller distributed sales tax proceeds to cities totaling $407 million this month, up 2.74 percent from the July 2015 total of $396.4 million. So far this year, cities in Texas have received $3.06 billion in sales tax proceeds compared to $3.03 billion in 2015, an increase of .8 percent. Cities in Collin County are reimbursed a total of $21.4 million this month, up 7.85 percent from the $19.8 million received from the comptroller a year ago.
Brooke Hoffard/The Wylie News
Noah Stagg of the Wylie P.O.L.I.C.E Club washes a patrol vehicle Saturday July16. The club, under the supervision of Officer Michael Stewart, held a car wash fundraiser. All donations received will benefit the families of fallen officers. Right, Samantha Wong advertises the car wash the old fashioned way. See story page 4A.
Pokemon Go wakes up Wylie By Joe Reavis Staff Writer
news@wylienews.com The city of Wylie laid claim to the Wide Awake Wylie slogan again over the past few days as people flocked downtown after sunset to seek, capture and battle imaginary creatures in the new “Pokemon Go” digital game. Following clues on their smart phones, gamers are strolling Ballard Avenue looking for locations inside and outside buildings where Pokemon characters and props can be found. The number of gamers is spotty during the day, but increases to as many as 50 at a time when the sun goes down. “The streets are crawling with people,” Killashandra Silcox of Wylie said while taking a mid afternoon break at First Baptist Church Events Center. City parks are getting a lot of use, also, often after they are officially closed. Stephen Butterworth of Wylie said he was asked by police
to leave a park where he was trying to catch Pokemon after hours. “I can’t imagine how many people have had the police called on them because they are walking around town late at night,” Butterworth said. The game is based on the Pokemon card game craze of the 1990s, but is an enhanced version utilizing augmented reality. The technology blends the digital and real world together by placing the cartoon characters by GPS in real locations. Pokestops, locations to collect Pokemon eggs and items to enhance the power of characters, and gyms where Pokemon fights are staged p o p up on smart
Fire, EMS contract approved By Joe Reavis Staff Writer
news@wylienews.com
Joe Reavis/The Wylie News
The “Voices of Wylie” sculpture outside Smith Public Library has been marked as a Pokestop and was used last week by, from left, Daniel Bell, Kimberly Bell and Scott Allen, to pick up Pokemon eggs and powers. phones, often with a picture of the location, to attract players. The catch is that players must get outside and walk in order to collect the characters and do battle. If a gamer picks up a Pokemon egg at a Pokestop, the player must walk five kilometers to hatch the egg and see what chara c -
Pokemon characters are spotted on Ballard.
Clear the Shelters in Wylie July 23
Inside this issue How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@wylienews.com
Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ter is inside. “This is Nintendo’s effort to get people to go out and exercise,” Silcox pointed out. Although Pokestops and gyms are at fixed locations, Pokemon characters can be found anywhere. Players see the character on their smart phone and, with the flick of a finger, roll a Pokeball to try and capture them. Currently, there are 151 characters and more are to be added, which could make the game never-ending. Purpose of the game is to collect all the characters, find potions and other props to make them stronger and battle to claim gyms. Gamers join one of three teams; Team Mystic is blue, Team Instinct is yellow and Team Valor is red. Once a team captures a gym, players can fortify it by putting addi-
4C 4A 2C 5A 1B
tional players in it, requiring attackers to beat several Pokemon before claiming the gym. To do battle, a player must be physically present at the gym site. Defenders also have to be physically present to place their players in a gym, but do not have to stay at the location waiting for an attack. Churches are a common Pokestop of gym location because they are recognizable landmarks. After noticing that people were congregating in front of First Baptist Church Special Events Center in downtown Wylie, Associate Pastor Jonathan Carpenter saw it as an opportunity to connect with gamers. Carpenter said he met 20 Pokemon gamers outside the church after a community
City of Wylie Animal Services is joining animal shelters across the country to host a Clear the Shelters Day pet adoption event Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shelter is waiving adoption fees, and all adoptable animals will have been spayed or neutered, have had all vaccines, have a microchip, have been dewormed, and have been treated with flea and tick eradication and prevention medicine. Complimentary drinks and snacks will be provided by Cox Elementary School. Wylie Animal Services is located at 949A Hensley Ln. Visitors must be at least 18 years old with valid ID to adopt.
See CATCH page 6A
Lake Lavon Levels Normal 492
491.83 ft. as of 07/18/16
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Wylie City Council approved an agreement to provide fire and emergency medical service to Inspiration housing subdivision, which is outside city limits, at an initial annual cost of $190,000 to be paid by the homeowners. The council met Tuesday, July 12, in regular session at City Hall. “They will pay what our citizens pay for fire and emergency medical service, plus 15 percent as an administrative fee,” Wylie Fire Chief Brent Parker said. In order to provide the emergency services to Inspiration, the fire chief reported that he would need to hire to firefighter/emergency medical technicians, a cost included in the contract. The agreement will be reviewed every three years to determine if Wylie Fire-Rescue needs to add personnel, and the contract will be adjusted accordingly. Parker also pointed out that agreement is to be adjusted annually according to account for growth and increased costs of providing service. Inspiration must pay an initial $140,000 fee to start service in addition to the annual charge. See CONTRACT page 6A
THE WYLIE NEWS (USPS) 626520) is published each Wednesday at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes to P.O. Box 369, Wylie, 75098. Published by C&S Media, Inc. © Copyright 2016. No reproduction without permission.