Plano mayor outlines 'Next Chapter of Excellence' with focus on jobs, infrastructure and safety

Mayor John Muns outlined a vision for Plano’s “next chapter of excellence,” citing corporate relocations and expansions, upgrades to utilities and streets, new public-safety facilities and expanded parks and arts programming.

Muns opened by thanking residents, council members and city partners and framed the speech around steady, strategic planning that he said has guided Plano from a small farming community to a city of more than 300,000 residents. “When you see those then and now images, it's hard not to feel a lot of pride in Plano,” he said.

Why it matters: The mayor presented ongoing investments as the foundation for continued economic growth and public services. He listed recent and incoming corporate presences—naming EDS, JCPenney, Frito-Lay, Toyota, JPMorgan Chase, Liberty Mutual, Sally Beauty, Delta Electronics and USAA—and referenced plans to redevelop 2700 Plano Parkway for mixed industrial and research use. Those developments, Muns said, bring jobs and revenue that staff can direct toward infrastructure, safety and neighborhood services.

On infrastructure, the mayor pointed to extensive water and sewer line replacements described as necessary to protect public health and support growth. City leaders also highlighted road work including intersection improvements and asphalt overlays to extend pavement life, with Independence Parkway cited as an example.

Public safety was a central theme: officials described a planned public-safety campus and training facility, a new mobile command unit, a remodel of Fire Station 5 and adoption of a 24/72 firefighter staffing schedule intended to support readiness. “These aren't just upgrades, they're promises,” the mayor said, adding that emergency preparedness exercises bring regional partners to train alongside Plano first responders.

The address also noted parks and recreation projects: a new 38-acre Ravenglass Park, additions to parks in the legacy business district, renovations at Bob Woodruff Park North and the reopening of the Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center with a children’s play pool, resurfaced track and expanded pickleball access.

Muns framed arts and community partnerships as part of the city’s long-term strategy. He noted adoption of Plano's first cultural arts plan—developed through public engagement—and touted partnerships with Plano ISD, Collin College and Paul Quinn College, the Mayor’s Summer Internship Program (surpassing 1,000 youth), and volunteer efforts that include the North Texas Food Bank’s regional peanut-butter drive.

The mayor emphasized fiscal stewardship as the means to preserve services while funding these initiatives and closed by urging continued community collaboration to “build a city that’s not only ready for growth, but ready for what’s next.”