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Dallas County voters will decide whether to approve a 2.4-cent property tax rate increase intended to fund homelessness prevention, encampment resolution, mental health treatment and housing programs. Separately, Collin County voters will consider $817.5 million in bond propositions, while Collin College voters will decide on a $600 million bond package.

The proposals have different purposes and potential tax consequences, depending on where homeowners live and which taxing entities serve their properties.

Dallas County commissioners approved the voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, Aug. 11. If approved, the increase is expected to generate $102.9 million in additional annual revenue, according to the county.

The proposed increase would support programs designed to reduce homelessness, resolve encampments, expand access to mental health treatment and provide stable housing.

Dallas County’s adopted tax rate for the 2026 tax year is 24.865 cents per $100 of taxable property value, including the proposed increase. The voter-approval rate is 22.465 cents, creating the 2.4-cent difference that voters will consider.

For a Dallas County homestead with a taxable value of $268,056, the county estimates an annual county property tax bill of $666.52 under the adopted rate. The proposed increase would account for about $64.33 of that amount annually.

The 2.4-cent increase is not a 2.4% increase in a homeowner’s total property tax bill. The actual cost depends on the property’s taxable value after exemptions. Homeowners can use the county’s property tax impact calculator to estimate the effect on their properties.

Meanwhile, Collin County’s four bond propositions would fund public facilities, roads, parks and records storage. Proposition A would provide $296.5 million for court facilities, adult detention and jail medical and mental health facilities. Proposition B would allocate $475 million for non-tolled road and bridge projects. Proposition C would provide $6 million for parks and open space, and Proposition D would allocate $40 million for election operations and records storage.

County administrators project Collin County’s debt-service tax rate could rise from about 4.18 to 4.19 cents per $100 of taxable value to as much as 4.95 cents by 2031. At the maximum projected increase of about 0.77 cents, a home with a taxable value of $350,000 would pay roughly $27 more annually in county debt-service taxes.

Collin College’s $600 million Proposition A would fund the second and third phases of its Destination 2030 master plan, including workforce training, career and technical education, 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 value if the bond passes. The rate has remained unchanged since 2018, and officials do not anticipate an increase to cover the proposed borrowing.

Texas law requires bond ballots to include the phrase “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE,” even when an entity projects no increase in its tax rate.

For Sachse residents, the applicable county election depends on the county in which their property is located. Dallas County residents will vote on the VATRE, while Collin County bond propositions apply to voters in that county. Collin College’s bond proposal is a separate measure, and its potential effect depends on whether a property is subject to the college district’s taxes.

Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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By Allison LaBrot | [email protected]

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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Sachse residents demonstrated their generosity during September’s Peanut Butter Drive, earning the city top honors for per capita giving in the North Texas Food Bank’s annual campaign.

The recognition comes as food insecurity continues to rise across North Texas, including in Sachse, where an estimated 3,440 residents — about 11.1% of the population in the city’s ZIP-code area — face uncertainty about having enough food.

“I’m incredibly proud of our community!” Mayor Jeff Bickerstaff said. “Sachse may not be one of the largest cities in North Texas, but our residents have shown time and again that we have a big heart.”

Read the full story in the October 22nd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.

Fall festivities are filling the October calendar, with everything from trick-or-treating and costume contests to a drone show, Halloween parties and other seasonal activities.

Sachse has several events planned throughout the month, while neighboring Wylie will close out the season with one of the area’s largest Halloween traditions.

The city of Sachse’s third annual Fall-O-Ween event will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Heritage Park. Children are invited to dress up and collect candy from vendors at the Trick-or-Treat Market.

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The festivities will center around downtown Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4, with Glen Echo Brewing hosting a three-day Oktoberfest at 106 N. Birmingham St. and local merchants joining the celebration Saturday with an Oktoberfest Village Stroll.

The Village Stroll will run from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, throughout Historic Downtown Wylie, giving visitors an opportunity to make their way among participating businesses at their own pace.

Merchants will create their own Bavarian-inspired stops, offering food and beverage samples, games and activities, shopping specials and photo opportunities. Some food, beverages, crafts and activities will be available for purchase.

Admission to the stroll is free.

Visitors can pick up a free Oktoberfest Village Passport at participating businesses and collect stops as they explore downtown. Those who complete their passports can enter to win prizes provided by downtown merchants.

Lederhosen and dirndls aren’t required, but organizers are encouraging visitors to dress for the occasion.

Just down Birmingham Street, Glen Echo Brewing will stretch its Oktoberfest celebration across the entire weekend.

Activities begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, with a ceremonial first keg tapping by Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter and the release of Glen Echo Brewing’s Oktoberfest beer. The first of three steinholding competitions begins at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s brewery activities start at 1 p.m. with a costume contest and parade of participants. A second steinholding competition is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by beer-carrying obstacle races at 5 p.m.

German music and dancing will take over the patio from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with DJ Ronnie L of SC9 Entertainment. The third steinholding competition begins at 9 p.m., followed by the announcement of winners.

Perhaps the weekend’s smallest competitors take center stage Sunday.

Dachshund races begin at 1 p.m., followed by a singalong with the Beer Choir North Texas Chapter from 3 to 4 p.m. Glen Echo’s Oktoberfest concludes at 6 p.m.

Registration for the brewery’s contests will be available on site the day of each event. Contestants must be 21 or older except for participants in the dachshund races. Medals will be awarded to event winners.

Together, the events offer visitors a chance to celebrate Oktoberfest while spending the weekend exploring downtown Wylie.

For information about the Oktoberfest Village Stroll, visit Wylie Stroll Companion.

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The resolution is tied to a provision in the city charter requiring council to review its meeting procedures every two years. Council acted on recommendations presented by City Secretary Leah Granger.

Council considered the resolution in six parts, examining each individually. Granger proposed minor changes to the Rules of Order, which were last reviewed Aug. 5, 2024.

Read the full story in the September 24th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.

Commissioners approved a combined property tax rate of $0.151414 per $100 of assessed value Sept. 14, up 1.39% from the current rate of $0.149343.

For a median-value homestead used in the county’s comparison, valued at $517,911, estimated county taxes would increase $62.88, from $682.10 to $744.98.

County Judge Chris Hill, the lone dissenting vote on the budget and tax rate, said he wanted to avoid increasing the rate for the fifth consecutive year.

“…after 33 years of not raising the tax rate, this will be the first year to actually raise the tax rate,” Hill said.

The adopted rate includes $0.109564 for maintenance and operations and $0.041850 for debt service and remains below the county’s voter-approval rate of $0.152822.

The FY 2027 budget includes $410.9 million in property tax revenue and $222.9 million from other sources. Total expenditures are projected at $619.5 million.Overall revenue is expected to increase 8.1% from the current fiscal year, while expenditures are projected to rise 3.4%.

The General Fund, which pays for many of the county’s day-to-day operations, totals $366.2 million, up from $323.5 million in FY 2026. Property taxes are expected to provide $295.2 million of General Fund revenue.

The budget also increases county staffing to 2,247 full-time equivalent positions, up from 2,170.5 in the current budget.

Among the additions are six deputy sheriff patrol positions, a deputy assigned to GHOST and a sergeant assigned to narcotics. The budget also adds two felony prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office and positions in facilities, juvenile probation and detention, engineering, elections, information technology and other county operations.

Commissioner Darrell Hale, Precinct 3, said after the meeting that he supported the budget and tax rate to allow the county to keep pace with its growing population.

“I felt that we owe it to our citizens to have excellent services. In order to do that in a growing county we have to add people to keep a level of excellence,” Hale said.

The county’s taxable property base has continued to grow even as its tax rate has generally declined. Certified adjusted taxable value increased from $238.74 billion in 2022 to $330.10 billion in 2026, including $7.75 billion in new construction this year.

For comparison, the county’s total tax rate was $0.225 per $100 of assessed value in 2016.

The higher rate will not mean a higher county tax bill for every homeowner. The county’s average home value declined from $603,190 in 2025 to $588,119 in 2026.

At that value, estimated county taxes would be $845.97 under the new rate, compared with $855.78 under the previous rate — a decrease of $9.81.

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The two cities are facing off in the “Peanut Butter Bowl” as part of the North Texas Food Bank’s annual Peanut Butter Drive, which continues through Sept. 30.

Sachse Mayor Jeff Bickerstaff and Rowlett Mayor Jeff Winget are leading the friendly rivalry to see which community can collect the most peanut butter and monetary donations for the food bank.

At the halfway point, Sachse had begun gaining ground.

After trailing Rowlett in fundraising, Sachse’s monetary donations jumped from $310 to $665 overnight following a community appeal highlighting the two cities’ totals.

The response has already pushed Sachse well beyond last year’s results. In 2025, when there was no competition with Rowlett, the city collected about $200 in monetary donations during the entire drive.

Residents still have nearly two weeks to help Sachse add to its total.

Peanut butter donations can be dropped off at Sachse City Hall, Sachse Public Library, Community Center, Senior Activity Center, Public Safety Building and Sachse Animal Shelter.

Monetary donations can also be made online through the city’s Peanut Butter Drive campaign.

The annual North Texas Food Bank drive encourages communities across North Texas to collect peanut butter, a nutritious, shelf-stable food that is frequently requested by food banks and pantries.

The Peanut Butter Bowl continues through Wednesday, Sept. 30. For donation information and updates on the competition, visit the City of Sachse’s Peanut Butter Drive webpage or follow the city on social media.

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From an intricate crocheted blanket and a landscape made from nearly 58,000 seed beads to handmade baskets, digital art, photography and masks, creators from communities across the area earned ribbons in this year’s Creative Arts competitions.

Entries were submitted in July and judged before the fair’s opening. The competition encompasses an extensive range of creative pursuits, with major categories including Canning, Craft Creations, Dolls, Fine Art, Glue-a-Shoe, Hobby Collections, Holiday Corner, Needlework, Photography, Scale Models, Sculpture, Sewing and Quilting and Yarn. Each is further divided into individual contests and classifications.

Wylie resident Melissa “Missie” Rick earned one of the highest honors, Best in Show in the adult Yarn category, for “Astrid’s Wood,” an interlocking crochet blanket that took approximately 225 hours to complete.

Rick’s State Fair experience began only last year, when she entered two smocked dresses and came away with second- and third-place ribbons.

While visiting the fair afterward, she saw the Yarn Best in Show entry and decided to set herself a new challenge.

“I saw the Yarn Best in Show and figured I could make something that could win,” Rick said.

She searched for patterns before settling on “Astrid’s Wood,” which uses a difficult interlocking crochet technique. Essentially, she said, two blankets are crocheted together, with the pattern determined by which color is brought to the front.

“I hadn’t seen one using that same technique so I thought it would be different and stand out,” she said. “And it was a challenge. It was a pretty difficult technique to learn.”

Learning she had won brought another surprise.

“I was pretty surprised and ecstatic when I found out that I had won,” Rick said. “My family was excited for me and we have our fair day picked out.”

She is already considering future entries, including another smocked piece or possibly designing her own interlocking crochet blanket.

“I told my friend I’m probably more fearless than talented,” Rick said. “I say ‘why not’ quite a bit.”

Another Wylie resident, Peggy Ludwig, 70, is no stranger to seeing her work displayed at the State Fair.

Ludwig earned second place in Craft Creations — Miscellaneous for a 20-by-28-inch framed East Texas landscape painstakingly constructed from 57,750 size 11/0 seed beads. Inspired by Caddo Lake, the scene features pine trees and a creek and required about 100 hours to complete.

“I was looking for something that was statewide because it is the state fair,” Ludwig said of choosing the scene.

She has entered the competition for nine years and has earned either a ribbon or honorable mention every year, including a first-place ribbon her first year.

Her technique grew from her earlier experience with cross-stitch. Ludwig had been making jewelry with a friend when she began wondering what else she could create with her supply of beads. She eventually adapted cross-stitch patterns to beadwork, using fishing line and tiny beads laid in rows. 

Ludwig has been selling her beadwork and jewelry at craft shows for about 15 years. She works on pieces regularly to maintain an inventory for the shows she attends.

“It keeps me motivated,” she said. “I do like the competition. Like when you go to the fair and you see all the different stuff and who beat you out.”

Sachse resident Hope Costello earned second place in Fine Art — Digital Illustration for a drawing depicting two girls performing in a school talent show, one playing guitar and the other piano.

Although Costello has been drawing since she was 3, she began working digitally only two or three years ago and said adjusting to drawing on a tablet presented its own challenges.

This year marked not only her first State Fair art competition, but her first art competition of any kind.

“I was extremely happy!” Costello said of learning she had placed. “I’ve always been told that I’m good at drawing, but actually placing in this competition shows that other people that don’t have a bias for me like my art, too!”

Princeton resident Kimberly Lindsey also earned a second-place ribbon, in Craft Creations — Handmade Baskets of Any Material, for a piece carrying special meaning.

Lindsey made the basket for her best friend, Stacy Konrad, who died before Lindsey could finish it.

“I thought entering it would be a good way to honor her,” Lindsey said.

She began basket-making about five years ago after retiring and taught herself through Pinterest and YouTube. She is also a returning State Fair winner; one of her baskets earned first place in 2023.

“Winning a ribbon at the fair lets you know you have reached a new level in your craft,” Lindsey said.

In Murphy, 13-year-old Cooper Junior High eighth grader Olive Jimenez earned third place in Craft Creations — Masks, for “Celeste,” a mask she originally created for a friend’s story character.

Jimenez has been making masks for about six months, drawing inspiration from online tutorials, Pinterest, YouTube and friends. Her creation incorporates materials including feathers, paint, hot glue and jewelry.

Her inspiration to enter came during a family trip to last year’s State Fair, when she spotted a mask displayed among the award winners and realized she was already making similar projects at home.

This year she submitted Celeste, a beaded star and several photographs. The other entries earned participation ribbons, but the mask stayed behind after judging — a clue that something special had happened.

“It was really cool because a lot of people in the state put their entries in and I got one of the places,” Jimenez said.

Her mother, Monica Jimenez, said Celeste and Olive’s third-place ribbon will be displayed together in case No. 86 in the Creative Arts Building throughout the fair.

Olive is looking forward to seeing it there.

“It will be really fun and I can’t wait,” she said. “It will be pretty awesome to see my own thing in the glass case and see my ribbon on it.”

Fellow Murphy resident Savannah Marstell is another returning competitor. She earned third place in Photography — Holiday and an honorable mention in the Cultural photography category this year.

Her third-place photograph captured the chandelier at the Winspear Opera House transformed into a Christmas tree and illuminated in red and green for a Leslie Odom Jr. holiday performance.

Her honorable mention came from another memorable outing — a photograph of country flags displayed on the field during a FIFA World Cup match in Dallas.

Marstell and her sisters, Sierra and Kendra, have been interested in photography since high school and have entered State Fair photography contests since 2023. Between them, they have collected several ribbons.

“I was thrilled!” Marstell said of this year’s results. “When I go to drop off the entries and then pick-up the non-winning entries, I see stacks and stacks of photos, so to have not only one, but two of my photos make it is incredible knowing how much competition is out there.”

The sisters have come to view each other’s successes as shared victories.

“My sisters and I joke that any photograph State Fair ribbon is a ‘family ribbon’ even though we all entered in separate photos,” Marstell said.

For the winners, the payoff comes when the State Fair gates open and months — or, in some cases, hundreds of hours — of work are displayed for thousands of fairgoers to see.

Ludwig hopes others might be inspired to try the competition themselves, noting that entering doesn’t require a major investment.

“In reality, it costs 5 bucks to do an entry in the fair,” she said. “It’s dirt cheap to do an entry. So even if you lose, you had fun.”

Editor’s note: Other residents from the communities we cover also earned ribbons and honorable mentions in the State Fair of Texas Creative Arts competitions. This story highlights local winners who responded to requests for information about their entries.

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