Matt Tilke supervises traffic management and signal timing at the city of Plano as their Senior Traffic Engineer.

Plano City Council approved $8.5 million for new vehicle detection systems at a meeting June 8. The new systems will help fine-tune signal timing, per previous reporting.

Community Impact interviewed Tilke to learn more about signal timing at the city. Answers have been edited for length, style and clarity.

1. What does the day-to-day of a senior traffic engineer look like?

We're in the middle of a major technology upgrade push, so we're replacing all controllers, cabinets, vehicle detection at the intersections, we're installing CCTV cameras, we're upgrading the signal communication network to be almost 100% city on fiber optic. That supports really high bandwidth primarily so that we have good video coverage.

A new smaller-scale concept of Cafe Olivia, Olivita by Café Olivia, is now open inside an office building in the Willow Bend area of Plano.

What's on the menu: The restaurant’s menu includes breakfast items such as avocado toast and the Daylight Bowl. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. 

Diners can also order sandwiches, such as the steak melt or The Olivia chicken sandwich, salads and bowls off the lunch menu. Olivita by Café Olivia also serves lattes, signature drinks that come as a latte or matcha, coffee and refreshers.

• 2400 Dallas Parkway, Ste. 140, Plano

The Denton County Commissioners Court will allocate a $40 million bond from the Denton County Housing Finance Corporation to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, according to an Oct. 20 news release.

The details:The TDHCA will use that money to assist around 132 households in buying homes, providing nearly $1.4 million in down payment assistance and more in closing costs, according to the release. 

The $40 million bond comes from the DCHFC’s end-of-year bond cap, the annual federal limit on tax-exempt private activity bonds. The DCHFC will receive annual fee revenue from the bond to support future housing projects, according to the release.

“By working with TDHCA, we can help more working families achieve the dream of homeownership while supporting our local workforce, all without taking on additional County debt,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said.