Denton City Council and staff gave updates on three public safety initiatives for the city, including an increase in fire service calls to new speed limits near Nelson Elementary School.

The overview: The Denton fire department received 24,436 calls for service in 2025, up from 23,012 in 2024, according to a report from Denton Fire Chief Kenneth Hedges.

The two biggest increases came from hazmat responses and rescues. Hazmat calls increased by just over 10 percentage points, from 419 in 2025 to 462 in 2025, and rescue calls increased by 16 percentage points, from 835 to 969.

The rescue and hazmat calls were primarily caused by motor vehicle accidents. Accidents on I-35 caused oil spills requiring hazmat services, and vehicle accidents can require the fire department to extract an accident victim from the vehicle, necessitating a rescue call, Hedges said.

One more thing: The 30 mph school zone speed limit on Teasley Lane near Nelson Elementary School will now extend 200 feet north through the intersection at Teasley Lane and Hunter’s Creek Road.

Denton ISD leaders are considering a district-wide raise for all employees to bring DISD salaries inline with other districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The overview: An April 14 presentation from Jason Rainey, the interim superintendent for human resources, proposed a 4% raise for teachers and librarians based on market median teacher salary and a 2% raise for all other staff. The salary adjustments would cost the district roughly $9 million for fiscal year 2026-27.

The proposal came out of a staff survey where almost one third of DISD teachers said compensation was the most important issue for teachers. The district also found that the starting salary for new teachers in DISD was the lowest out of 18 nearby school districts.

Looking ahead: Current projections for FY 2026-27 show the district earning about $10 million more in revenue than expenditures. The Denton ISD board of trustees could decide on the salary adjustment at the May 12 board meeting.

After years of construction, the Texas Department of Transportation is nearing completion of its $135.9 million US 380 improvement project in Denton County.

What's happening?: Tila Grant, TxDOT public information officer, said in an email final work on the project is expected to wrap up sometime in April. However, remaining construction on the Collin County segment is still years out from finishing as exact timelines are still being determined due to questions of funding.

What it means: Town and county officials said they hope these improvements will also ease congestion and reduce accidents along the corridor. Since 2019, annual daily traffic near the intersection with Gee Road has increased by just over 50%, according to TxDOT data.

Quote of note: “The improvement of [US] 380 is a huge milestone for the town of Prosper, both for our local commute as well as the regional commute,” Prosper Mayor David Bristol said. “Little incremental improvements eventually will get us to where we need to be.”

The overview: Texans are expected to save millions in sales taxes on emergency supplies—everything from tarps to generators—during an annual tax holiday April 25-27.

How it works: The sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. April 24 and lasts until midnight April 27.

Texans are expected to save about $2.4 million in state and local taxes, according to the comptroller’s office. Last year, Texans saved about $2.3 million, agency spokesperson Kevin Lyons said.

According to the comptroller’s office, items qualify for the tax exemption if they are priced at:

• Less than $75 for items including household batteries, fuel containers, flashlights, smoke detectors, tarps and first aid kits
• Less than $300 for hurricane shutters and emergency ladders
• Less than $3,000 for portable generators