Sunnyvale Review April, 2019
Spring is a great time to visit the Sunnyvale Animal Shelter. We have puppies, kittens, and adult pets that would love a home.
Sunnyvale Animal Shelter 371 Long Creek Road Shelter Visiting Hours Weekdays 9 a.m. - Noon
(Come through the gates!)
From the Mayor Dear Friends and Neighbors It looks like the winter season is behind us. While I am not a big fan of the sweltering August weather, I am really glad that Old Man Winter has given way to spring weather. With the weather change, you may also anticipate several of the infrastructure improvement projects kicking into the next gear. If you have driven on Collins Road between US 80 and Tripp recently, you might have noticed that the Collins Road North of US 80 to Tripp expansion is proceeding well. Construction crews are working diligently on utility relocation prior to start of construction of the road. South Collins Road construction is expected to start in 2020. The long-awaited Nance Road construction started this month. Council has approved $200k for this project in this year’s budget.
Mayor Saji George sajigeorgetexas@ gmail.com or mayor.george@ Staff also has identified a full slate of Capital Improvement townofsunnyvale.org Projects (CIP) that include road expansions, drainage improvements, additional town facilities, etc. To seek citizen input in prioritizing these projects, the Council has appointed a 12 person citizen committee to evaluate the needs of the community and to make recommendations to the Town Council in time for the 2020 budget planning. The Council and I appreciate these citizens along with other volunteers who contribute their time. Transparency in Town and Council operations is important and the Staff and Council are working to continually improve our communication with citizens. You can sign up for the weekly news update called “Town of Sunnyvale News Flash” at http://townofsunnyvale.org/communication. Also, if you are interested in attending a council meeting or another boards/commission meeting from the comfort of your home or while you are at your child’s after school program, you may do so now by visiting the town website at http://townofsunnyvale.org/streaming to watch live and archived video of the proceedings. Finally, if there is anytime you would like to meet with me or share a concern or have a question, please feel free to reach out to me on my personal email at sajigeorgetexas@gmail. com or at my town email address mayor.george@townofsunnyvale.org. Thank you Mayor Saji George
Bulk Trash & Recycling • • • • • • •
ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:
Tires Concrete Chemicals of any kind Paint Appliances with or without freon Any equipment with oil or gas Batteries of any kind
Clear out the clutter One Day Only Saturday, April 13 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Jobson Park
300 Block of Jobson Road
Meet the Candidates
On May 4, the Town of Sunnyvale will hold a Special Election to fill a vacancy for Place 6, an unexpired term of two years. Candidate bios and photos were provided by each candidate. The Town of Sunnyvale does not support or oppose any candidate listed in this publication. Content provided is for informational purposes only. More information is available at http://townofsunnyvale.org.
CANDIDATE EMERY POWELL I’m a retired scientist and business consultant. I offer my professional services to the town free of charge, serve on committees, and I invite others to also do so. We have tremendous talent and experience in our town and your help is needed. In retirement my wife and I do missionary work, most recently in Africa for 2 years. We have 18 grandchildren, 5 in our schools. We moved to Sunnyvale in 2012 because of the low density and rural small town character. Let’s keep it that way. I’m concerned over the town’s exploding growth, its impact on our infrastructure, and who is going to pay for all this. I am a passionate conservative and a delegate to the Texas Republican Convention. I am one of the few to attend most of our town council meetings and speak for the rights of our individual citizens. This is my second campaign for town council. I feel we need a more conservative voice on the council and I will work to ensure your constitutional and property rights are protected.
CANDIDATE JARED TOLLESON Jared Tolleson has called Sunnyvale home since he was six years old. Growing up on Paschall Road he has been able to watch the town grow and change over the years. He now gets the pleasure to raise his four children in the same town where he grew up. Jared met his wife Julie while they were attending Texas A&M University. They recently celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary. Jared is the owner of Tolleson Insurance, which he started in 2014. In his spare time he enjoys flying planes, watching Aggie football, and spending time at home with his family. He’s an active member of his church, Christ Covenant in Mesquite. CANDIDATE JONATHAN FREEMAN Since moving to Sunnyvale at 7 years old, I have always considered this town my home. I went to school here, met my amazing wife Andrea here, and I wanted to come back and eventually raise my kids here. When we moved back, all the things I had come back for were still here, excellent schools and wonderful people all with a small town feel. The biggest change was the number of people and the amount of growth on the horizon. I am running for council because I want to help this town manage its growth in a manner that will maintain all the things we all moved here to enjoy. I have been in the financial services industry my entire career with a focus on commercial real estate for the last 13 years. I want to use my professional experience as well as my personal experiences in Sunnyvale to help guide this town through this growth phase we are currently in, to preserve what matters the most. The people, the schools, and the togetherness of a small town.
Ethics Committee
Ethics. Most everyone wants high standards of ethics for their governmental officials even if the definition of ethics may be a little fuzzy. The purpose of the current Ethics Code for the Town provides standards of conduct “to assure the integrity of local government and its effective and fair operation.” In other words, how can elected and appointed officials act that will cause our residents to have confidence in our local government? Because Town Hall touches our lives in so many ways, from police and fire, roads, water, parks, zoning and development, public heath and animal control, and is supported by our tax dollars, it is important to have these vital functions handled in a way that the residents can have not just confidence, but pride in our Town. To implement their duty of review under the Charter, the Town Council appointed a Charter Review Committee of Sunnyvale residents. The Ethics Committee consists of Charles Anderson, Karen Hill, Mark Egan, Lon Hickman, Ernest Burton, Jr., Mark Eldridge and Emery Powell. The Council has provided support from Town Secretary Rachel Ramsey and Town Attorney David Dodd, and provided meeting space at Town Hall. Meetings, all of which have been posted and held in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, have been taking place since last November to review the current Code of Ethics. The Committee has taken its charge seriously to broadly review and propose recommendations for amending the Code, to insure compliance with the Town Charter and State law and to seek input from the Town Council, Staff and Board and Commission of the Town. A public comment opportunity has been provided at every meeting. The Committee has heard from the staff members dealing with Finance and Economic Development. In addition, the Committee has heard from the new Town Manager, Susan Guthrie, particularly on her role in supervising staff and communicating with Council. The Ethics Committee has discussed amendments which touch both substantive and organizational issues to bring Sunnyvale’s Ethics Code up to date. While most of the current Code is in fine shape, the Committee is planning to present its recommendations and proposed Code with amendments to the Town Council at the Council’s April 8, 2019 meeting. The Committee will ask that the draft be placed on the Town web page prior to the presentation to the Council. Charles Anderson Chair, Sunnyvale Ethics Committee
Economic Development Economic Development Week
Economic Development Week, sponsored by the International Economic Development Council, is May 6-10, 2019. The Sunnyvale EDC has lined up tours of local industries for the public to be able to tour and see what happens behind the walls you see as you drive down Clay Road. All of the tours will require you to RSVP to attend as they will need a headcount for hardhats and glasses. If you are interested in attending any of the following tours, please RSVP to Traci Anderson at traci.anderson@ townofsunnyvale.org or (972) 203-4154.
Kaffenbarger Truck Equipment Company May 6 2 p.m.
Dal-Tile Clay Road May 7 2 p.m.
Performance Pulsation May 8 10 a.m.
Vince Hagan
Accura Systems
Prentex
May 8 2 p.m.
May 9 10 a.m.
May 10 10 a.m.
• Additional tours will be added for May 9, at 2 p.m. and May 10, at 2 p.m.
Economic Excellence
The Texas Economic Development Council awarded the Sunnyvale Economic Development Corporation with The Economic Excellence Recognition. This program provides recognition to economic development organizations that meet a desired threshold of professionalism and honors their outstanding commitment of excellence. Recipients qualify for recognition based on training taken by their governing board/council as well as the economic development director and professional staff. Certifications, professional memberships and activities, and organizational effectiveness of the economic development staff also contribute to the standards for qualification.
For more information contact: Traci Anderson, Economic Development Director (972) 203-4154 traci.anderson@townofsunnyvale.org
Doris Padgett Library Summer Reading: A Universe of Stories!
It’s almost time for school to let out, and that means only one amazing thing: Summer Reading! This year’s Summer Reading Program, A Universe of Stories, runs through June and July. We have all kinds of fun in store! • Kick off your Summer Reading fun with local children’s author Angela Henderson and her book “Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree”! Come enjoy a fun interactive reading, make a fun craft, and even enjoy some ice cream of your own. Enjoy a fun, family-oriented crafting project every Thursday afternoon. • Come in every day during Summer Reading for a chance to win fun weekly prizes. • Enjoy a fun, family-oriented crafting event every Thursday afternoon. • Complete a constellation of reading challenges to earn a chance to win cool prizes at our End of Summer Reading Celebration! For more information, call us at (972) 226-4491 or just drop by. It’s going to be out of this world!
Emergency Preparedness:
The Doris Padgett Public Library is dedicated not only to entertain and educate you and your family, but also to providing you with the information you need to live a better life. With that in mind, the Library’s emergency preparedness classes are designed to help you keep yourself and your family safe and prepared for the worst. Classes are free and open to the public. No reservations required. Schedule: • Thursday, April 18, 6 p.m.: Pandemics & Terrorism / Shelter In Place • Thursday, May 16, 6 p.m.: Emergency Communications
Story Time:
The Library holds our weekly story time every Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. Children ages 2-6 are invited to hear some great stories and make a fun craft they can take home!
Book Club:
The Doris Padgett Public Library Book Club meets on the first Saturday of the month at 1 p.m. to discuss our monthly book and enjoy light refreshments. If you need a copy of the book, be sure to come by the Library; we have multiple copies of each book available for checkout and past book club selections available for purchase. If you have a book you’d like us to consider for reading, let us know and we’ll try to incorporate your selection, as well as suggest something new we bet you’ll love. Schedule of upcoming books: • April 6, 2019: “Shanghai Girls” by Lisa See • May 4, 2019: “The Force” by Don Winslow • June 1, 2019: “Where the Long Grass Blows” by Louis L’Amour
Town of Sunnyvale 127 N. Collins Road Sunnyvale, TX 75182
Sunnyvale Review COMMUNITY CALENDAR APRIL 1 - Board of Adjustments Meeting Cancelled 8 - Town Council Meeting, 7 p.m. Town Hall 15 - Planning & Zoning Commission, 7 p.m. Town Hall 16 - 4B Development Corp. Meeting, 6:30 p.m. Town Hall Library Board Meeting, 6 p.m. Doris Padgett Public Library 17 - 4A Development Corp. Meeting, 5 p.m. Town Hall 22 - Town Council Meeting, 7 p.m. Town Hall 29 - Joint Council, 4A and 4B Meeting, 6 p.m. Town Hall Early voting will be held at Town Hall April 22, through April 30.
MAY 4 - Town and School Elections Town Hall 6 - Board of Adjustments Meeting, 7 p.m. Town Hall 8 - 4A Development Corp. Meeting, 5 p.m. Town Hall 13 - Town Council Meeting, 7 p.m. Town Hall 14 - 4B Development Corp. Meeting, 6:30 p.m. Town Hall 20 - Planning & Zoning Commission, 7 p.m. Town Hall 21 - Library Board Meeting, 6 p.m. Doris Padgett Public Library 27 - Memorial Day, Town Offices Closed Town Council Meeting Cancelled
Dates and times are subject to change. Please visit http://townofsunnyvale.org for current meeting information.