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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 515
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WHEREAS, Residents from Collin County are gathering in |
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Austin on March 28 and 29, 2017, to celebrate Collin County Days |
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at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Collin County is one of the largest and |
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fastest-growing counties in the state; more than 90 percent of |
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its workforce over the age of 25 hold a high school diploma and |
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about half have earned at least a bachelor's degree; such highly |
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skilled workers also make the county a leader in job growth; and |
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WHEREAS, With a population of 277,000, Plano is the largest |
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city in the county and home to six Fortune 1000 companies, |
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including JC Penney, Alliance Data Systems, Cinemark Holdings, |
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Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Rent-A-Center, and Denbury Resources; |
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Toyota has established its North American headquarters in Plano, |
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as has Hilti Corporation; the city has been named the number one |
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Best Place to Live in America and the Best Place to Live in Texas |
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by Money magazine, the number one city to find a job by WalletHub, |
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and the fifth-ranked 2016 Best Performing City by the Milken |
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Institute; this thriving municipality boasts nationally |
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recognized schools, award-winning parks, a lively historic |
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downtown district, and multicultural neighborhoods that appeal |
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equally to families, young singles, and retirees; its excellent |
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restaurants, vibrant shopping districts, exciting entertainment |
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venues, and active local arts scene all contribute to the city's |
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high quality of life; and |
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WHEREAS, County seat and home of the McKinney National |
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Airport, the city of McKinney hosts such major employers as the |
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aerospace division of Raytheon Company, Encore Wire Corporation, |
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Emerson Process Management, and Torchmark Corporation; recent |
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relocations include Service First Mortgage and Aramark's first |
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"clean room" in Texas; furthermore, the city's historic downtown |
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encompasses more than 130 boutiques, and it earned the ranking of |
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#1 Best Place to Live 2014 from Money magazine; and |
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WHEREAS, Allen is a dynamic and welcoming home to more than |
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98,000 residents and has been ranked among the safest, most |
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affordable, and most family-friendly cities nationwide, and the |
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city continues enhancing the Texas workforce through the |
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addition and expansion of such international companies as KONE, |
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IntelliEPI, and WatchGuard Video; in 2016, the city received the |
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coveted National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal |
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award for its creation and stewardship of more than 1,100 acres |
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of parkland, 67 parks and facilities, and 62 miles of |
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hike-and-bike trails; moreover, its volunteer efforts were |
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recognized with the 2016 Keep Texas Beautiful Governor's |
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Community Achievement Award for efforts in environmental |
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education, community beautification, and litter prevention; and |
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WHEREAS, Defining "Progress in Motion," Frisco is one of |
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the fastest-growing cities in the country and the |
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fastest-growing community over the past decade, according to the |
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United States census bureau; it has maintained its quality of |
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life amid rapid development, and the Dallas Morning News named |
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Frisco among its top 10 suburbs for schools, safety, families |
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with children, young adults, empty nesters, and "Best Overall" |
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neighborhoods; known for top-notch public safety services, the |
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city received the highest rating for fire protection, and it |
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enjoys one of the lowest crime rates, as well as low taxes; this |
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once-small town is home to Collin College, Preston Ridge Campus, |
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world-class venues, and five professional sports teams, namely |
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the Frisco Roughriders, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, Texas Legends, |
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and Dallas Cowboys; active residents have access to 49 parks, 86 |
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miles of trails, and an athletic center featuring an outdoor |
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water park; health care facilities include three hospitals, and |
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the favorable business climate supports more than nine million |
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square feet of retail and restaurants; among the cultural |
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amenities are three museums and hundreds of public and private |
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art installations displayed throughout Frisco's approximately |
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70-square-mile area; and |
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WHEREAS, The City of Wylie, Wylie Independent School |
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District, Wylie Chamber of Commerce, and Wylie Economic |
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Development Corporation work in concert to build a strong |
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community that strives to honor the past, embrace the present, |
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and plan for the future, while valuing unity, relationships, and |
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trust, as evidenced by a recent report naming Wylie the best |
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small city in the country in which to raise a family, and the |
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hottest suburb in Texas; Wylie fosters a spirit of cooperation, |
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and with a thriving business environment and outstanding |
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schools, it is a place people treasure and proudly call home; and |
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WHEREAS, The city of Richardson, which is known globally |
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for its high-tech business leadership, is home to the Telecom |
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Corridor area; Richardson offers a high quality of life, a |
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diverse array of neighborhoods, and easy access to a multimodal |
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transportation infrastructure; the city has repeatedly been |
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recognized as one of the top places to live, work, and obtain an |
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education by national and local media, and it remains dedicated |
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to continued improvement as well as to the principles of open |
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government and two-way communication with residents; and |
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WHEREAS, The city of Murphy, an affluent residential |
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community in southeastern Collin County, has maintained its |
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designation as a top 10 Best Suburb by D magazine since the |
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inception of the ratings; Murphy boasts over 219 acres of |
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parkland, and it has rich community programs along with a |
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culturally diverse, highly educated population of over 20,000; |
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exciting new businesses have joined an engaging business |
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community, and residents take pride in the city's ranking as the |
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third-safest city in North Texas and the fifth safest in the |
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state; and |
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WHEREAS, Recognized by D magazine as a top 10 suburb, |
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Prosper issued 669 single-family housing permits in 2016, and the |
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city has 1.1 million square feet of commercial development under |
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construction with an additional 530,000 square feet of |
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shovel-ready projects due to break ground in 2017; it is home to |
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several top housing developers, including Blue Star Development, |
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LandPlan Development, and Terra Verde Group; the Prosper |
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Independent School District has been voted by the Dallas Morning |
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News as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Dallas/Fort Worth for |
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three consecutive years, and the district continues to be one of |
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the state and national leaders in student growth; moreover, the |
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city's outstanding police department offers such community |
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outreach and crime prevention programs as Citizens on Patrol, the |
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Citizens Police Academy, the Community Safety Initiative, and |
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Smart911; and |
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WHEREAS, Having been a platinum-level Scenic City in Texas |
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since 2011, Fairview has also been recognized as a Tree City USA |
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and earned a 2011 Growing Green Cities Award, and it is home to |
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the first street in Texas to be illuminated by LED lighting; the |
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town is a three-time recipient of the Texas Municipal League |
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Municipal Excellence Award, and it earned a Certificate of |
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Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the |
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Government Finance Officers Association for fiscal years ending |
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in 2014 and 2015; moreover, the Texas Chapter of the American |
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Planning Association honored Fairview with a Certificate of |
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Achievement for Planning Excellence in 2015 and 2016, and the |
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town's Veterans Park has been recognized with a Patriotic |
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Achievement Award from the Military Order of the World Wars; |
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Fairview also features two of the Top 25 Best School Districts in |
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Texas as ranked by Niche.com; and |
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WHEREAS, The crossroads of the developing transportation |
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corridor in northern Collin County, Celina is growing rapidly |
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while retaining its respect for the traditional values of family |
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and heritage; its school district is rich in academic and |
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athletic achievement, with the Celina Bobcats earning pride of |
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place as the winners of eight state football championships; and |
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WHEREAS, Lucas has maintained a peaceful, rural lifestyle, |
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helping to sustain a high quality of life for its citizens; the |
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city is pleased to offer 25 miles of trails along Lake Lavon for |
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equestrian enthusiasts and continues to focus on wildlife |
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habitat preservation, making it the perfect home for the |
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Blackland Prairie Raptor Center; moreover, exceptional schools |
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and a vibrant residential market, combined with one of the lowest |
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tax rates in Collin County, make Lucas an excellent value for its |
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residents; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Parker are proud to be living in D |
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magazine's number two suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, |
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and they also enjoy a low municipal tax rate, as well as a AAA |
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bond rating; the residents number about 4,500, and they cherish |
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their uniquely "country" lifestyle; characterized by its large |
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lots and comfortable atmosphere, Parker is known to millions of |
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television viewers as the home of the legendary Southfork Ranch |
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from Dallas; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the fastest-growing cities in the |
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Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the city of Anna is a |
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family-friendly community with hometown appeal; its residents |
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enjoy an unhurried and friendly atmosphere, with safe |
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neighborhoods, excellent schools, and access to many urban |
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amenities; local businesses benefit from affordable real estate, |
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a low cost of doing business, a well-educated workforce, an |
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active chamber of commerce, and dedicated consumers; and |
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WHEREAS, Farmersville, located 15 miles east of McKinney, |
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took its name from the primary occupation of its original |
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residents; established in 1849 as a settlement on the |
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Jefferson-McKinney Road and near the Republic of Texas National |
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Road, the town was incorporated in 1873; agriculture kept pace as |
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it became a trade center, and in the 1930s, Farmersville shipped |
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over 1,000 carloads of onions annually, earning the nickname |
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"Onion Capital of North Texas"; the city may be best known for |
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native son Audie Murphy, who listed Farmersville as his hometown |
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when he enlisted in the army during World War II and returned home |
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to a hero's welcome in 1945; he had earned every army citation for |
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valor, was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and |
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was posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor; |
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Farmersville has a nationally recognized Main Street Program, |
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with many historic downtown buildings, eateries, and shopping |
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attractions; near the restored Onion Shed is the trailhead for |
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the 130-mile Northeast Texas Trail, a beautiful site for walking, |
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hiking, and bicycling; and |
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WHEREAS, Settled in the mid-1850s, the city of Lavon is |
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nestled along the southeastern shore of Lake Lavon; more than |
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3,000 residents enjoy the friendliness of the small-town |
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atmosphere combined with the benefits of living near an exciting |
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metro area; the city's growing parks and trail system, planned |
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capital improvements, pursuit of quality retail and commercial |
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businesses, and commitment to service contribute to the |
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outstanding quality of life; and |
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WHEREAS, Other communities add much to Collin County's |
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allure; the growing community of Blue Ridge is committed to |
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revitalizing its downtown, while the people of Josephine are |
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proud of their active volunteer fire department, which not only |
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protects the community but hosts such popular annual events as |
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the Easter egg hunt and the Christmas parade; and |
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WHEREAS, Also contributing to the development of Collin |
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County are the residents of Copeville, Lowry Crossing, Melissa, |
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Nevada, New Hope, Princeton, Royse City, Sachse, St. Paul, |
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Westminster, and Weston, along with parts of Dallas and Garland, |
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and these communities play an important part in the county's |
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flourishing, diversified economy and its quality of life; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of this notable North Texas county |
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are working to preserve the best of their past even as they look |
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forward to a bright and promising future, and they are sure to |
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figure prominently in the growth and prosperity of the Lone Star |
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State in the years ahead; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize March 28 and 29, 2017, as Collin |
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County Days at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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delegation sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable |
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stay in Austin. |
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Taylor of Collin, Estes |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on March 29, 2017. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |