In honor of Burleson's 2012 Centennial, this year's Fourth of July fireworks show was choroegraphed to music from the past decades! The high flying and low aerial spectacular followed on the heels of a free 90-minute concert by Grammy Award winners Asleep at the Wheel. This is the second year that the City's free Independence Day Celebration has been hosted at Chisenhall Fields Sports Complex. For more pictures, go to the City of Burleson Independence Day Celebration 2012 album on the City of Burleson Facebook page.

The Burleson Senior Activity Center is hosting a Christmas in July Craft Fair on Saturday, July 21, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Stop by the 216 S.W. Johnson Ave. center and browse through one-of-a-kind handmade items and gifts. If you are interested in selling your unique homemade items or are interested in more information about the fair, call the center at 817-295-6611.

The Burleson Animal Shelter and Lost Oak Winery are teaming up for the second annual Yappy Hour on Friday, July 13, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., at the winery. The shelter staff will bring adoptable pets for on-site adoption. Yappy Hour is open to the public. There is no fee to attend. Adoption fees range from $55 to $65 and include basic vaccinations and microchipping. Depending on the age of the animal, the fee also includes a rabies vaccination voucher and heartworm and FELV (feline leukemia virus) test. Guests may bring their own pets. Leashes are strongly advised for all pets who attend. The winery will be serving a special called Pooch Punch (a white sangria). The winery will also have a vendor selling all natural and organic food/treats. He will bring samples. A portion of the night's proceeds will be donated to the animal shelter. Read More

Did you know that your property tax bill is an estimate of taxes assessed by several entities, including the City, county and school district? You can see how your money is spent by checking out the Your Property Tax Dollars at Work page on the City website.  You need the appraised value of your home, the county and school district you live in, and if you have a homestead exemption. A home in Tarrant County appraised at $100,000, in the Burleson Independent School District and with a homestead exemption, can expect a total tax bill of $2,600+. Of that, 49.2 percent goes to the schools, 25.9 percent to the City, and 24.8 percent to Tarrant County. The same $100,000 home in Johnson County has an estimated tax bill of $2,350+ with 29.2 percent going to the City. The calculator breaks down how the tax dollars are used by the City. This page is for estimation purposes only, and is not designed to calculate the effects of the senior or disabled exemptions or freezes.

Do you have questions about regulations concerning residential development? Check out the Interactive House on the City website! Simply click on what you want to add or change (storage building, retaining wall, fence, swimming pool, home remodel, deck/patio cover, carport). That will take you to the online permit application, detailed information, and contact information for the City's building permits and inspections division. Go to the Residential Development Process page.

The Burleson Lions Club hosted the annual Fourth of July parade Wednesday. The theme was "Celebrating Burleson's 100 year Anniversary of Freedom and Liberty: Honoring Our Military & Heroes in Uniform." The parade included everything from a military flyover to military vehicles, fire trucks, bicycles and motorcycles, horses, dogs, athletic teams and even gymnasts. For more pictures go to the Burleson Lions Club Fourth of July Parade 2012 album on the City of Burleson Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the filming in Burleson June 27-29. CGI Communications, a Rochester, N.Y., company that produced the City's 10 free videos for the Burleson Video Tourbook in 2008, came back to produce 10 new videos. These videos are free to the City because local businesses and organizations sign up as sponsors. The 10 one-minute videos cover Burleson's quality of life, real estate and relocation, education, public safety, economic development, City government, being a good neighbor, Old Town, and family/sporting venues. The videos should be posted on the City website this fall.

Tell us what you think! City staff has posted three surveys on the City website on the "How Are We Doing?" page. Tell us what you think about the way we communicate with you and your avenues of communicating with us; tell us how we are doing about code compliance in the city; and put in your two cents about the Burleson Police Department's programs. Every opinion counts!