Burleson Police Officer Chaz Garrett must be doing something right. He was honored as the 2009 Rookie Officer of the Year, the 2011 Officer of the Year, and on Jan. 30, he was tapped as the 2013 Officer of the Year. That wasn't the only honor Garrett took home. He earned a Life Saving Award in connection with a suicidal person call and a police commendation award for a call involving a man asleep at the wheel that quickly escalated in to resisting arrest. Burleson hired Garrett in March 2009. The award winner is a field training officer, an intoxilyzer operator, an advisor for Burleson Police Explorer Post #4911, and is a member of the department's bicycle patrol. Read More

Do you feel like getting out and walking, jogging, or just enjoying the great outdoors? Trails are an important amenity for the City of Burleson's park system and the City is making great strides in acquiring the land necessary for future comprehensive trail linkages.  Oak Valley Trail is complete and stretches from Oak Valley Park North to the intersection of Scott and Rigney Way in Burleson's Old Town.  A second completed trail runs from the southern end of Chisenhall Fields to Bailey Lake, which will enjoy Phase 1 of its future improvements by mid-summer.  A future trail will extend north from Bailey Lake to Warren Street allowing users to access Old Town from the southern part of town without having to drive. Concrete destination trails are not the only type of trail the City envisions.  Nature areas such as the Shannon Creek Nature Preserve are already being planned.  More to come on those improvements!

Six lifesaving awards, almost a dozen commendations, and four awards for meritorious conduct were presented at the Burleson Police Department's awards banquet. More than half a dozen employees were also recognized for their years of service. Top awards went to Officer of the Year Chaz Garrett, Rookie Officer of the Year Andrew Prieskorn, Supervisor of the Year Bob Sherman, Civilian Employee of the Year Katlyn Martin, Most Outstanding Community Policing - Officers Jonathan Gomez and Mark Pate - and the Ofelia Blair Character Award - Citizens On Patrol Assistant Coordinator Vicki McElroy. Read More

How will you know if a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Burleson? The  City of Burleson, in partnership with Everbridge, will contact you. If your name and landline phone numbers are currently listed in the white pages or yellow pages or you previously signed up for the City's Blackboard Connect system, you are automatically in the Everbridge system. Messages can be  sent by cell phone, landline, email, text  and more, but you must opt in to the Everbridge emergency notification system. Go to the Everbridge page on the City website. Choose how you want to be contacted, the number of phones and email addresses you want included, and the order in which you want to be contacted. You can include your home and work address, your child's school and/or daycare, or your parents/grandparents' home. You will be asked to confirm that you received the alert. Once you confirm, Everbridge will stop contacting you for that incident. You can set a "quiet time" for messages (tornado messages will be sent regardless of quiet times) and choose which weather warnings you want to receive. Read More

The Burleson Public Library is hosting free workshops for entrepreneurs and small business startups. No registration is required. All workshops are on Saturdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at the library, located at 248 S.W. Johnson Ave. The Feb. 22 workshop, "Business Plan Basics," is presented by John Simmons, a local business owner, entrepreneur, and small business coach. Ninety-five percent of small businesses don't have the one thing that investors and experts consider essential to success - a business plan.  Find out how to create a fundamental business plan and increase your chance of success. For more information about the workshops call the library at 817-426-9210.

Two of the four races for seats on the Burleson City Council are now contested. Robert Gray filed for Place 6, currently held by Ronnie Johnson. Ken Shetter drew challenger John Glen Garrison for the post of mayor. Rick Green, Place 2 and Matt Aiken, Place 4, are unopposed. Green, 49, is a realtor. Aiken, 33, is an attorney. Johnson, 68, is retired. Gray, 36, is a police officer. Shetter, 42, is an attorney/executive director. Garrison, 51, is employed in lawn care. If you want to  represent your neighbors on the Burleson City Council, candidate packets for the May 10, 2014, City election are available at Burleson City Hall. The city secretary's office has the packets ready to pick up, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday and at the city council meeting Feb. 17. The council meeting starts at 7 p.m. The last day to file for office is Feb. 28. Candidates must be at least 18 years old on the date they apply for a place on the ballot; a citizen of the United States; a qualified voter of the city; a resident of the city or have resided in the city for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election; and not be delinquent in the payment of property taxes due to the City of Burleson. Read More