Eight candidates are seeking four seats on the Wylie ISD board. Five candidates — Bonnie Tinsley, Brett Fagan, Brandon Thomas, Sam Satterwhite and Scott Johnson — are competing for Place 2, which is open because current trustee Mike Williams is not seeking another term.

Incumbent Stacie Smith is seeking re-election to Place 1, Virdie Montgomery is seeking re-election to Place 5, and Jacob Day is seeking re-election to Place 6.

Trustees serve four-year terms and represent the district at large, allowing voters across Wylie ISD to vote in each of the four races.

Campaign finance reports filed for the election as of Oct. 22 show differing levels of reported fundraising and spending. Fagan and Satterwhite, both Place 2 candidates, reported campaign financial activity, while Smith and Montgomery filed reports showing no contributions or expenditures.

Fagan filed a report covering July 20 through Sept. 24. He reported no contributions and $3,104.66 in total political expenditures, including $348.04 in un-itemized political expenditures.

Satterwhite filed a report covering Aug. 3 through Oct. 3. He reported $2,750 in political contributions and $2,767.86 in political expenditures. His report also listed a remaining political contribution balance of $140.20 and $700 in outstanding loans.

Campaign finance reports were not listed among the candidate documents provided for review for Tinsley, Thomas or Johnson, who are seeking Place 2, or Day, who is seeking Place 6.

The absence of a report from the documents reviewed does not establish whether a report was filed separately or whether a filing was required at that time.

Texas Ethics Commission rules require candidates with opponents on the ballot, who expect to accept or spend more than $1,140 during the 2026 election, to file pre-election campaign finance reports. Those reports are due 30 days and eight days before the election and must be received by the appropriate school board clerk or secretary by the deadline.

The $1,140 threshold applies to transactions made in 2026. Candidates who choose modified reporting but later exceed the limit may face additional filing requirements, depending on when the threshold is exceeded.

Unopposed candidates are not required to file pre-election campaign finance reports for that election. Candidates generally must continue filing semiannual reports, even if they have no campaign activity or lose the election, until they cease campaign activity and file a final report to end their filing obligations.

Additional election information and candidate documents are available on the Wylie ISD Board Elections webpage. Campaign finance forms and guidance are available through the Texas Ethics Commission.

Voters can find polling locations, voting hours and other election information through the Collin County Elections Department.

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The college anticipates no increase in its property tax rate if its bond proposal passes, while county projections show the debt-service tax rate could rise gradually over several years to help pay for the proposed county projects.

Both bond elections will include state-required ballot language stating, “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE.” However, the anticipated tax impact depends on each entity’s debt obligations, revenue growth and future tax rates.

Collin College’s $600 million Proposition A would fund the second and third phases of its Destination 2030 master plan. Proposed projects include expanded workforce training and career and technical education programs, an aviation academy in McKinney, and new or expanded campuses in communities such as Anna and Royse City.

College officials project the district can maintain its property tax rate of 8.122 cents per $100 of taxable property value if voters approve the bond package. The rate has remained unchanged since 2018, according to the information provided by the college.

Under that projection, a homeowner would not pay a higher tax rate specifically to cover the proposed college bonds. However, an individual’s total property tax bill could still change if appraised property values increase.

County projects proposed

The county’s bond package would fund a broader range of infrastructure and public facilities. Voters will consider four separate propositions totaling $817.5 million.

Proposition A would provide $296.5 million for court facilities, adult detention and mental health and medical facilities at the jail. Proposition B would allocate $475 million for non-tolled road and bridge construction and improvements.

Proposition C would provide $6 million for parks and open space projects, while Proposition D would allocate $40 million for county election operations and a records-storage facility.

County administrators project the debt-service tax rate could increase from the currently adopted rate of about 4.18 to 4.19 cents per $100 of taxable value to as much as 4.95 cents by 2031. That would represent a potential increase of about 0.77 cents per $100 of taxable value as bonds are issued over several years, through fiscal 2032.

At that maximum projected increase, a home with a taxable value of $350,000 would incur about $27 more annually in county debt-service taxes. The actual impact would depend on the taxable value of the property and the tax rate ultimately adopted.

The projections are not guarantees that the county tax rate will reach the maximum. County officials have indicated that continued population and revenue growth could allow the county to slow the pace of bond sales or cover debt obligations without implementing the full projected increase.

The bond proposals also come after the Collin County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 to increase the county’s overall operations and maintenance tax rate for fiscal 2026-27 to 15.1414 cents per $100 of taxable value. That rate is separate from the debt-service rate used to repay bonds.

For homeowners, the key distinction is that the college expects to finance its proposed bond package without raising its current tax rate, while the county’s proposal could lead to a gradual increase in the portion of the tax rate dedicated to debt repayment.

The Nov. 3 election will determine whether voters authorize the proposed borrowing. The eventual tax impact will depend on debt issuance schedules, property values, revenue growth and the rates adopted in future years.

Early voting will continue through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can find early voting locations and additional election information through the Collin County Elections Department.

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The city of Murphy had a remarkably low water loss of 3% from its municipal system in August, as leaks were patched quickly and residential usage peaked at 171.3 million gallons. Meanwhile, contractors were behind schedule on replacing 5,500 copper service lines with high-density polyethylene pipe.

In presenting third-quarter water loss totals to the Oct. 20 meeting of the Murphy City Council, Daniel Paredez, assistant director of public works, assured councilmembers the August total was correct, even when compared with 11% in August of last year. 

“We double check and triple check the numbers on this, and numbers are the numbers … we found no errors,” he said. “Best we can come up with is there was about six leaks that came up in August, and they were all repaired relatively pretty quick, so we think we got ahead of the curve on that.”

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Election officials say early voting for the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election was brisk in the first week, but so far not as heavy as the similar periods prior to the November 2022 and 2024 elections. 

There had been 214,742 in-person voter check-ins after seven days of early voting, from Oct. 19 through Oct. 25, said Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux.

That compared with 501,190 during the first week of early voting for the 2024 general election and 352,294 in 2022. 

Breaux also said his department had received 15,560 requests for ballots by mail that have been processed and mailed. 

Early voting ends Friday, Oct. 30, at 42 locations. 

Breaux said Gay Library in McKinney, Davis Library in West Plano and the Allen Public Library had been three of the busiest locations during the first week.

Breaux said Collin County had 795,752 registered voters eligible to cast ballots in the election. But because the county now uses hand-marked paper ballots printed on demand after check-in, voters may vote at any of the 90 polling locations open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The elections administrator encouraged voters to plan for where to vote and perhaps consider voting at another location close to them that may not be quite so busy. Voting locations and wait times may be found under polling locations on collincountytx.gov/elections.

Breaux said total Collin County turnout was 69.19% in the November 2024 election and 52.56% in November 2022. 

“I think we are on pace for a possible 65% to 70% turnout for this election,” he said. “As voter participation increases and the window of opportunity to vote closes, I would just encourage voters to remain patience and vote with grace as they interact with our election officials.”

This year’s early voting got off to a shaky start on Oct. 19, Breaux said.

“We had 10 polling locations that experienced some printer outages in the first hour or so of voting,” he said. “We were able to resolve most issues by 9:30 a.m.”

Collin County switched last year from ballot marking devices (BMDs) to paper ballots that are marked by hand.

“Most voters that we hear from feel like this process takes longs a little longer and liked the ballot marking device’s help in the marking process,” Breaux said. 

But he added it was only a small fraction of voters who commented. “Honestly, it’s probably the same amount that we heard from when we had BMDs, and those folks wanted hand-marked ballots,” he said.

Proposition D on the ballot is a County proposal to issue $40 million in bonds “for the purpose of designing, developing, constructing, and equipping a new County elections and storage facility, including election department offices, election training, election storage, County records, historical documents and equipment storage.”

Breaux said the switch to hand-marked ballots added to the need for more space but was not the only factor. 

“We were part of a space study a few years ago, and the study concluded that we were in about half of the space that we should be in,” he said. “We currently have 25,000 square feet of space (give or take). The study concluded that we should be in about 55,000 square feet of space.”

The elections administrator said the hand-mark ballot equipment is taking up a larger footprint in warehouse space, but growth was also playing a part in his department’s needs. 

“We trained more than 900 workers for this election, and our training space only allows for about 40 participants at a time,” Breaux said. “This is another huge need for us also. We are just out of space here.”

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Planning Manager Stephanie Scott-Sims said at the Oct. 6 City Council meeting that Murphy had previously considered rental registration. 

In August 2014, city staff identified about 360 single-family rental properties, but council discussed the issue without pursuing a registration program, she said.

Read the full story in the October 22nd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

A bright red cabinet filled with children’s books has become Murphy’s newest and only library — one that requires no library card, charges no fines and is open whenever a reader stops by.

Seven members of the Plano-based Mary Shirley McGuire Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated the Little Free Library on Oct. 17 outside the rear entrance of the Murphy Community Center, 205 N. Murphy Road.

About a dozen community members joined the chapter for the dedication on a sunny, cool morning, along with city representatives including Murphy Parks and Recreation Director Matt Foster.

Read the full story in the October 22nd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Several area districts offer opportunities for seniors to attend school-sponsored events at a discount or for free. Wylie ISD and Garland ISD, specifically, issue cards to seniors ages 65 and older, active-duty military personnel and veterans that act as a general admission ticket to athletic and fine arts events. 

Wylie ISD cards are accepted at Garland events and vice versa. 

Plano ISD issues discount cards to residents 60 or older.

“Each district may have slightly different criteria or name for obtaining a card, but the goals are the same: to make sure our senior citizens stay connected to our schools and provide affordable entertainment options for this valuable community,” Ian Halperin, Wylie ISD executive director of community relations & marketing, said. 

Wylie ISD has issued 200 Gold Cards this semester and more than 3,200 total since beginning over 40 years ago. Eligible residents can apply online at wylieisd.net/goldcard or by contacting Halperin at 972-429-3019. The application contains a few short questions, and the process is the same for seniors, active-duty military personnel and veterans. 

The district also allows its retired teachers to apply for the Gold Card. Recipients can choose to have the card mailed to them or to pick it up at the Educational Service Center. Once issued, the card never expires. 

In addition to high school events, the WISD card also covers junior high activities that have an admission fee. Halperin said there are some events where licensing requirements prevent the free admission benefit from being used. 

Plano ISD has a Retired Seniors Valued in Plano (RSVP) program for residents aged 60 or older. The free membership card allows for free or discounted admission to most PISD sporting and fine arts events. 

Members recently took a hosted by Superintendent Theresa Williams and Johnny Hill, deputy superintendent for business, employee services and technology.

Attendees visited Plano West Senior High School, Haggard Middle School, Plano Senior High School and the new Career and Technical Education Center. 

“I found it absolutely fascinating to see how much construction is occurring in Plano, as well as the unique types of construction,” said RSVP member Mark Ball “You’ve got schools that are being rebuilt featuring brand new things that I didn’t think about when I was in school, or my wife Jane, who was a former principal in the district, even was aware of. It really is an opportunity for the students to have such wonderful campuses.”

PISD RSVP Membership Cards do not expire and membership does not have to be renewed annually. The program provides free admission to all home games for all sports for middle school and high schools, both junior varsity and varsity. It excludes away games, playoff games and non-school events held in school facilities. 

Fine arts events hosted by the UIL are regular price with no discount or free admission, but campus performances of plays, variety shows, band, orchestra, choir and vocal music offer free admission on opening night. The RSVP offers discounted admissions only on opening night for musicals and the Drill Team Spring Show. 

For more information, or to apply for a card, search RSVP on PISD.edu. 

To receive a Garland ISD VIP pass, eligible residents can call 972-494-8580 to schedule an appointment during the window of Monday through Thursday from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Applicants must bring a government-issued picture ID or document to prove military service. Garland’s VIP passes also never expire. 

For more information, visit garlandisd.net/garland-isd-vip-pass.

Reporter Bob Wieland also contributed to this story.

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The Sage Hippie, which opened in late August at 105 S. Ballard Ave., Suite A, offers mindfully sourced crystals, herbs and other products for customers interested in everything from geology to spiritual practices.

But West is quick to point out that visitors don’t have to believe in the metaphysical properties of crystals to appreciate them.

Read the full story in the October 22nd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Murphy’s annual family campout is returning to Central Park Pond next month, offering families a chance to spend a night under the stars without venturing far from home.

Now in its third year, the overnight event has become a popular fall activity. Last year’s campout offered space for 50 families and sold out quickly.

This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, through Saturday, Nov. 14, with an evening of outdoor activities, food and entertainment planned for participants.

Campers can begin checking in at 3 p.m. Friday, with fishing and yard games available until dusk. The s’mores pit opens at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. An outdoor movie is scheduled for 8 p.m., although the film has not yet been announced.

Quiet hours begin at 10 p.m., giving campers a chance to settle in for the night.

The following morning, breakfast will be served at 7 a.m., with campers expected to pack up and clean their campsites by 9 a.m.

Registration costs $50 per campsite for up to five campers and includes a complimentary dinner and breakfast, along with a commemorative T-shirt. Vegetarian meal options are available upon request.

Participants should bring their own camping supplies, including a tent, sleeping bags or cots, flashlights, insect repellent, extra clothing, jackets and lawn chairs. Fishing gear, water bottles and any necessary medications are also recommended.

Parking will be available at the PSA North Lot, 330 N. Murphy Road, with overflow parking at the Murphy City Hall Complex, 206 N. Murphy Road.

Registration is open to Murphy residents and nonresidents, with a deadline of Thursday, Oct. 15. Campsites can be reserved through the city’s website at https://bit.ly/4hwVuFQ.

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