For the second time in three years, Vicki McElroy was awarded the Thomas Windham Citizens On Patrol Member of the Year, a state honor presented by the Texas Citizens On Patrol Association. McElroy is the assistant coordinator of the Burleson COPs program. The award's namesake was the Fort Worth chief of police for 15 years. Windham hosted the first Citizen on Patrol in Texas. McElroy attended the Burleson Police Department's basic Citizens Police Academy in the summer of 2005. She became certified as a Citizen On Patrol member in 2006 and attended the advanced Citizens Police Academy in 2007. McElroy has served with two coordinators, former Sgt. D. Hill and Sgt. B. O'Heren, the current coordinator. O'Heren has nothing but high praise for his assistant volunteer coordinator He said that she "would never ask a member of the organization to do a task that she would not, has not, or cannot do herself. Vicki is a natural born leader." Read More

If you host an event that attracts tourism and supports the hotel industry, the City opened the application process for those interested in applying for hotel/motel occupancy tax funds. The deadline to file is 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The guidelines for funding and the application are posted on the City website. A qualifying event/program has to take place between October 2013 and September 2014. The City collects a local hotel occupancy tax, as authorized by the Texas Tax Code which amounts to a 7 percent tax on each hotel room that is occupied in Burleson. There are four hotels - Days Inn, Best Western, Comfort Suites and America's Best Value Inn- inside the Burleson city limits. The funds the City collects each year are used to support qualifying programs that attract tourists and results in "heads in beds" at local motels. The selection committee will decide if the application meets the standards of the law, is a high quality event, attracts overnight visitors to Burleson, promotes tourism and a positive local economic benefit, and is a special event or a sporting event. Read More

The second readings on three ordinances for the Fiscal Year 2013-2014 City budget are on the city council agenda  Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. (City facilities are closed Monday for Labor Day). They include the ordinance to revise the budget figures for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 and adopt the 2013-2014 annual operating budget; the ordinance to set the 2013 ad valorem tax rate at $.6900; and, an ordinance to establish rates to be charged for water and wastewater service in Burleson. The City of Burleson receives all of its drinking water from the City of Fort Worth. Effective Oct. 1, 2013, City of Burleson water customers will see a 13 percent increase in their water rate for base and volumetric charges. This increase is due in large part to the City of Fort Worth increasing its water rate by 16 percent. However, City of Burleson wastewater customers will see a 2 percent reduction for wastewater charges. To view planning documents for the budget, go to the Budget Planning, Fiscal Year 2013-2014 page on the City website's homepage. The Sept. 3 city council agenda will be posted on the City website by 5 p.m. today.

If you are celebrating the end of summer, don't drink and then get behind the wheel of a vehicle. As part of a national effort to save lives and crack down on impaired driving, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced its "Drink. Drive. Go to Jail." campaign that ends Sept. 2. Burleson  Police are stepping up their patrols during the DWI awareness campaign. William Smith, 60, of Rio Vista was killed Aug. 3 when Robert Dale Emerton of Burleson struck the Rio Vista man's Ford Escape with his Dodge Ram pickup. Emerton was arrested Aug. 8 for intoxication manslaughter. Alsbury Baptist Church youth pastor Brian Jennings, mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles, and 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell were killed June 15 in a rural Tarrant County crash involving several vehicles. Nine other people were hurt. According to Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, the blood alcohol content of the driver of one of the vehicles was more than three times the legal limit. That driver was 16 years old at the time of the crash and is facing charges in Tarrant County. Read More

Texas' Move Over/Slow Down law expands Sept. 1.Right now, the law requires drivers in Texas to yield to police, fire and emergency vehicles. Starting Sept. 1, the Move Over/Slow Down law expands to provide that same protection for Texas Department of Transportation workers. Drivers must move over or slow down when approaching TxDOT workers and vehicles that are stopped with overhead flashing blue or amber lights. Drivers must move out of the lane closest to the TxDOT vehicle when possible or reduce their speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted limit. If the road does not offer multiple lanes, the driver must slow down. On roadways with posted speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less, drivers must reduce their speed to 5 miles per hour. Violators can be fined up to $2,000. Read More

The Greater Johnson County Transportation Coalition (GJCTC) will host its first general meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 9 a.m. at the Crowley Recreation Center, 405 S. Oak Street. The GJCTC consists of the cities of Burleson, Cleburne, Crowley and Joshua as well as Johnson County. The goal is to plan and advocate for improved transportation in the greater Johnson County area and assist in the development of a continuing, comprehensive, multi-modal transportation planning process carried on cooperatively with state and local agencies. The meeting will feature guest speakers addressing the state of transportation in Johnson County as well as informative displays on the Chisholm Trail Parkway and local transportation initiatives. For more information contact Paulette Hartman at 817-558-7447.

The City is hosting the fifth Connect with Council on Saturday, October 5, at 10:30 a.m. at the Burleson Public Library, 248 S.W. Johnson Ave. Light refreshments will be provided. Councilmembers Jerry Allen and Dan McClendon will field questions and talk about their top priorities. Call 817-426-9681 for more information about Connect with Council.