As an incentive for utilizing the bank draft feature to pay your City of Burleson utility account, all customers who choose (or currently use) this option will be entered into a monthly drawing beginning in October 2013. The customer whose name is drawn will receive a $100 credit to their City utility account. Sign up now so you have a chance to be one of the 12 prize winners this year. Simply fill out an application online or stop by the Utility Customer Service office located at Burleson City Hall, 141 W. Renfro St., 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The staff can start the process to automatically debit your checking account for your utility statement balance. For more information, call 817-426-9601.

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 Burleson City Manager Dale Cheatham at 817-426-9680.

Target, a national sponsor of the National Night Out 2013, is hosting a party in the parking lot at 200 N.W. John Jones Dr. The event is Tuesday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Vendors from the surrounding businesses in the South Towne Crossing retail center will set up booths. The National Night Out event is free, including the hot dogs that Target employees will be grilling. There will be a bounce house and games for the children. Other businesses that have signed on include Anytime  Fitness, Smoothie King, Chick-fil-A, and Johnson County Child Protective Services. For more about Target's National Night Out 2013 party, call Rob Horne at Target at 817-302-0058. National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support and participation in anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and to let criminals know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. To get involved with National Night Out, email Officers Jack Goleman or call 817-426-9895 or email David Wardlaw or call 817-426-9958. If you want your neighborhood on the list for a possible Oct. 1 visit from officers, contact them no later than Sept. 24.

If you want to host a public event in Burleson, you have to contact the City. A public event is a meeting or gathering held at a specific location within the city limits, which attracts or can be expected to attract more than 500 people at any time during the meeting or gathering. The City's new public events ordinance does not apply to an event that occurs within or on the same property as an established permanent stadium, arena, auditorium or other similar permanent structure that has sufficient existing and permanent electrical service, plumbing, water supply, sanitary sewer service and legal parking spaces to handle the expected number of participants. You must apply for a permit at least 45 days before the planned event, but there is no fee if it is classified as a public event. Public events may only be conducted between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. If there is good cause, the hours may be extended to 2 a.m. To read the ordinance, apply online, or download a PDF of the public events application, go to the Public Events Ordinance page or contact Burleson Fire Marshal Stacy Singleton at 817-426-9174 or email him.

If you want to learn how to do basic CPR, for free, there's a class for you Sept. 28.The Burleson Fire Department is hosting free basic CPR classes on Saturdays - Sept. 28, Oct. 19, Nov. 9, and Dec. 21. All classes are 9 a.m.-noon at Fire Station #1, 828 S.W. Alsbury Blvd. You must be at least 15 years old to participate. This class will not certify participants in CPR (not a card class). The course walks an attendee through very basic and easy hands on CPR, basic first aid, and instruction on an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).  Classes are open to the first 30 people who sign up. Call Fire Station #1 at 817-426-9176, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

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

Are you collecting receipts from Hwy. 174 businesses located between the I-35W/Hwy. 174 split and Elk Drive? The winner's name for the monthly prize will be drawn at the Sept. 16 Burleson City Council meeting. The Texas Department of Transportation is making median improvements to Hwy. 174 between I-35W and Elk Drive. During the construction, the City encourages everyone to keep visiting your favorite Wilshire businesses in the improvement area as part of the City's Shop on Wilshire Loyalty program. Collect five separate receipts from businesses in the improvement area, then deliver or mail the receipts to city hall prior to the third Monday of the month. Make sure your name and your phone number are included with the receipts. Receipts for the Sept. 16 drawing must be dated Aug. 1-31.

The Burleson Public Library's hours will change Sept. 30. The changes affect Thursday and Saturday access to the library. Hours are currently 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. The  hours that will go in to effect on Sept. 30 are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. The library is closed on Sundays. The number of hours the library is open does not change from the current 54 hours a week. The Burleson Public Library is located at 248 S.W. Johnson Ave. Library cards are available for free if you live or own property within the city limits of Burleson. Non-resident cards cost $25 for one year of unlimited checkouts from the Burleson library only (single user) or $50 for one year of unlimited checkouts from the Burleson library only (family membership). The library's collection includes 11 eReaders, 1,960 audiobooks, 54,427 books, 1,138 music CDs, 227 Braille books, 4,801 DVDs, and 1,518 magazines. The library is a member of the MetrOPAC, which gives Burleson Public Library card holders access to materials from 21 other participating libraries. Read More