The Town Council met multiple times over the months of July, August, and September to discuss the proposed 22-23 budget and tax rate. Throughout the process, the Town Council and staff members focused on maintaining the Town's existing tax rate, while still addressing needs such as aging infrastructure and enhancing service levels.

The 22-23 budget maintains the tax rate of $0.4530, with a slight decrease in the Maintenance and Operations rate ($0.3069) and a slight increase in the Debt Service rate ($0.1461). This budget will allocate more than $2 million to fully fund Phase II of the road maintenance project. It also adds new personnel in several Town departments to increase service levels to Sunnyvale citizens.

The chart below shows a comparison of the current property tax rate of Sunnyvale and its comparator cities.

Mark your calendars... The Sunnyvale Police Department will hold their annual National Night Out celebration at Town Center Park on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 6 - 9 p.m.

Carter BloodCare is joining the Police Department for the event and will be accepting blood donations from 3 - 8 p.m. Time slots are available here.

The Police Department has a lot in store for this event. Follow their event page on Facebook for more details, as they come. We hope to see you all on Oct. 4!

The Sunnyvale Police Department hosted the inaugural class for the Citizens Police Academy on Thursday, Sept. 15. The class consists of seven members who will meet over the next 14 weeks to gain a working knowledge of the Police Department's personnel and policies.

The next academy is planned for Spring 2023.

For more information about the Citizens Police Academy, visit www.townofsunnyvale.org/CPA.

• At the Sept. 12 Town Council meeting, Charlie Goodin (pictured right) was introduced as the Town's newest employee. Charlie joined the Town in August as a Parks Maintenance Technician. He joins Sunnyvale from the Town of Addison's Airport, where he worked as a Maintenance Technician. Welcome Charlie!
  
  

• Mayor George issued a proclamation declaring Sept. 17 - Sept. 23, 2022 as Constitution Week in the Town of Sunnyvale. Barbara Thomas (pictured below) received the proclamation, on behalf of the Daughter's of the American Revolution.

• During the recognition portion of the Council meeting, the Town recognized two individuals:
  1. Peter and Sally Muhl (pictured below) were recognized for their endless support and contributions to the Town's annual Sunnyfest event. Sunnyfest would not be the event it is without the support of Mr. and Mrs. Muhl. Thank you Muhl family for showing your support, year after year.
     
     
  2. Parks Supervisor Carlos Flores (pictured below) was recognized for a selfless act of service. On Aug. 16, Carlos was working in Town Center Park and noticed a senior citizen struggling while walking the trail. It was around 104 degrees and the gentleman’s daughter was unable to get her father somewhere he could sit down. Carlos noticed the gentleman’s struggle and went over to check on him. He then picked the gentleman up and carried him across the park to his vehicle, so that his daughter could take him to get the help he needed. If you’ve ever met Carlos, you will know that this is completely in line with his character. Carlos has been with the Town for 15 years and we appreciate all that he has done and continues to do for the community.

Coffee with a Cop was held on Friday, Sept. 16 from 8 - 9 a.m. Thank you to all who stopped by! The Town would also like to thank Burger King for sponsoring this event. The Police Department plans to host Coffee with a Cop on a regular basis. Stay tuned for the next event...

Each year, Sunnyvale Fire Rescue is invited to attend a Sept. 11 Memorial Service at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Garland.

Sunnyvale Fire Rescue staff pictured below (L to R): Capt. Jerald Hopkins, Allyn Crane, Kevin Dodd, Daniel Chrest, Mauro Hernandez, Kolby Fite, and Mario Luna.

Tomorrow, Sept. 17 is Pirate's Day at the Doris Padgett Public Library! Come and go from 12 - 4 p.m. for treasures, games, crafts, and more!

Mark your calendars for the final event on Sept. 24. Tune into next week's NewsFlash for details!

Thank you to our wonderful Friends of the Sunnyvale Public Library for sponsoring these events.

The Library is excited to announce the return of its Book Club!

The first meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m. The first book discussed will be Two Good Dogs by Susan Wilson. Refreshments and coffee will be served. Copies of the book are available at the Library to borrow, and will be available for sale after the event.

Additional meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Download the full schedule below.