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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Hill’s salary increased from $186,307.23 in fiscal 2026 to $191,539.17 in fiscal 2027, an increase of about $5,232.

Each of the four commissioners will receive $168,101.62, up from $160,816.24. Constables will receive $138,340.78, up from $131,049.44, while justices of the peace will receive $154,150.05, compared with $143,734.76 last year.

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Trustees serve four-year terms and, although candidates run for numbered places, represent the district at large. Incumbents Stacie Smith, Virdie Montgomery and Jacob Day are seeking reelection in Places 1, 5 and 6, respectively. Place 2 is open because current trustee Mike Williams is not seeking another term. The five candidates, in ballot order, are Bonnie Tinsley, Brett Fagan, Brandon Thomas, Sam Satterwhite and Scott Johnson.

Place 1

Smith, the incumbent, has served on the Wylie ISD Board of Trustees since 2018 and was board president from 2021 to 2023. Her community involvement includes extensive PTA service, the Wylie ISD Education Foundation, school committees, mentoring and the City & School Partnership Committee. Smith studied business and marketing at Brigham Young University and said she originally ran for the board to advocate for students, teachers, families and taxpayers.

Place 2

Tinsley moved to Wylie in 2020 and has been involved with the Wylie Farmers Market and other community activities. She is president and founder of Skyrocket, a marketing consulting firm serving engineering and architecture firms, and has more than a decade of experience in marketing, strategic communications and technical writing.

Fagan is a Wylie-area business owner, U.S. Army veteran and founder of Ripcord Roofing, a roofing and home restoration company. His background includes more than eight years of roofing experience and 12 years of military service. This is his first campaign for the Wylie ISD Board of Trustees.

Thomas is a seven-year Wylie resident who said his candidacy builds on a lifelong commitment to service, with a focus on strengthening the community and supporting student success. He is a retired U.S. Army officer and former academic excellence director at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His community involvement includes serving on the board of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and as a member of Congressman Keith Self’s Military Academy Selection Board for Texas’ 3rd Congressional District.

Satterwhite is a former Wylie ISD trustee who served from 2006 to 2009 and a longtime Wylie resident. He spent about 25 years leading the Wylie Economic Development Corporation before retiring in 2020. Satterwhite has cited his decades of community experience and the fact that his three children attended Wylie ISD.

Johnson, a Sachse resident and real estate broker, is also seeking Place 2. He has said his family has been part of the Wylie ISD community for about 20 years. Johnson also participated in CLAAS, a Wylie ISD community leadership program. His campaign emphasizes protecting excellence, preparing for the future and serving every student.

Place 5

Montgomery has served as the Place 5 trustee since 2022. Before joining the board, Montgomery spent many years in Wylie ISD, including serving as Wylie High School principal from 2012 to 2020. He holds degrees in education from Texas Tech University and Sul Ross State University and has decades of experience in education and athletics. The district named its Wylie High School multipurpose facility the Montgomery Center in his honor.

Place 6

Day, the incumbent Place 6 trustee, has served on the board since 2018. A former Wylie ISD engineering and dual-credit teacher, Day holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University. He works as a test engineering manager and has emphasized bringing a former teacher’s perspective and a data-driven approach to board decisions.

The Wylie News’ Voters Guide, featuring information on all eight candidates, will be published Oct. 15.

Early voting runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

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Council members heard from Assistant City Manager Logan Thatcher, who presented a list of potential bond projects that a citizens committee will review and possibly recommend for a May 2027 bond election.

City Manager Gina Nash said the citizens committee will meet three times this fall and winter and could recommend that council call a bond election. Or, it might recommend other funding sources for municipal infrastructure and program improvements.

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Family history connected the past and present Thursday, Sept. 24, as the Sachse Historical Society hosted its first Dessert and Learn program at the Sachse Historical Society Museum.

The program, part of the society’s America 250 activities, featured refreshments and a presentation by Tom Washington, who describes himself as a fifth great grandnephew of George Washington.

Washington traced his family lineage to John Washington, an early member of the Washington family in colonial Virginia, and through the family line to George Washington.

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District officials presented an update on Wylie ISD’s CTE programs during the Board of Trustees meeting Monday, Sept. 21, highlighting continued growth in student participation and industry-based certifications. 

Wylie ISD currently offers 23 CTE programs comprising 110 courses. The district added practicum courses in exercise science and real estate during the 2025-26 school year, while ROTC was also incorporated into CTE as an established four-year pathway. Business, marketing and finance currently serve the most students, followed by health and exercise science.

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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 issue dates from last October, when a third-party vendor updated the software used to process registrations filed with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux, who already had beefed up his office for the Nov. 3 general election, said the backlogged applications are being processed.

“I am confident — and I want voters to remain confident — that we are going to make sure that every voter who is eligible to cast a ballot in Collin County throughout the voting period on the November third election will be eligible to vote,” Breaux said.

He added that the issue was not party-related.

“When people register to vote in Texas, they do not register by party,” Breaux said. “Since we are an open primary state, voters declare their party affiliation at the time they vote in a primary election. Their party affiliation is good for one calendar year.”

Although the Secretary of State does not register voters online, residents may register or change their voting address when using the DPS online portal to renew their driver’s license.

That information should be sent to the Secretary of State to be forwarded to the resident’s home county. But the glitch was apparently found when counties began receiving old information.

Breaux said that with the backlog going back to October 2025, a voter could have been impacted during the primary election. 

“Those voters, more than likely, would have been able to vote a provisional ballot that indicated that the voter registered at DPS,” he said. “We would have conducted a DPS inquiry to confirm that was in fact true. DPS would have responded to our inquiries on a case-by-case basis.”

The issue was first reported by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization run by Civic News Company of New York City.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, told Votebeat the state’s voter registration system, TEAM, was developed by Civix, of Metairie, Louisiana, which provides government technology software and consulting.

Bettencourt has noted problems with the TEAM system since its launch in July of last year.

Votebeat reported DPS and the office of the Secretary of State said the problem was resolved on Sept. 13.

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The meeting began with several recognitions, including three Texas Instruments Foundation Innovation in STEM Teaching Award winners, each of whom received $10,000, as well as Leadership Rowlett Class 35.

Four new GISD administrators were also introduced: Diana Casper, executive director of purchasing; Shae Creel, director of athletics; Melissa Ramirez, director of special education; and Brian Dean, director of technology.

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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.