DTX-ALN: Impact 8/13/2026

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Collin County calls $817.5M bond to address growth needs

Collin County residents will vote on a $817.5 million bond when they head to the ballots Nov. 3.

Collin County commissioners approved the placement of four bond propositions on the November ballot during an Aug. 10 meeting. The propositions look to improve the county’s jail and courthouse, roads, parks and construct a new elections facility to maintain needs of the county’s growing population.

Quote of note: “All of these are taxpayer approved, so we put them forward to the taxpayer and if they want to approve it, we’ll move forward. If they don’t, we won’t and I’m perfectly content with that,” County Judge Chris Hill said. “They’re going to have to pay the bill, so we want their voice on this decision.”

The details: The propositions include:
Proposition A: $296.5 million for court and detention facility projects
Proposition B: $475 million for road improvement projects
Proposition C: $6 million for parks and open space projects
Proposition D: $40 million for elections and records storage facility

In Your Area

Nearly $4.2M Rowlett Trail Extension Project moves forward in Allen

The city of Allen’s trail system is expanding with an approximately $4.2 million project.

Allen City Council unanimously approved a contract with Garret Shields Infrastructure for the Rowlett Trail Extension Project at an Aug. 11 meeting.

The big picture: Phase 1 of the one-year construction project will add 1.67 miles to Allen’s trail system, Director of Parks and Recreation Kate Meacham said. The north section of the project will connect Bolin Park to The Trail at the Woods, and the south portion of the project will connect the existing Rowlett Trail to Watters Trail and continue to the Bluebonnet Trail in Plano, per city documents.

“This, by far, is our most requested segment,” Meacham said.

Phase 1 also includes two bridges, city documents state. Phase 2 of the project will include a trailhead on the McDermott Park property, according to Meacham’s presentation.

Dive deeper.

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Dive-in movie at Heights Family Aquatic Center

McKinney Farmers Market

Aug. 14, 8 p.m.
Richardson

Aug. 15, 8 a.m. to noon.
McKinney

More info

Pottery workshop at Wildflower Art Studio

Blind Wine Tasting at Winestein's

Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m.
Denton

Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m.
Grapevine

More info

To submit your own event, click here.

CI Texas

Texas senators consider how to better prepare communities for wildfires

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.

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Your local team

Shelbie Hamilton
Editor

Miranda Talley
General Manager

Email [email protected] for story ideas, tips or questions.

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