Former Mayor Bill Binford passed away on Sunday, November 6.

Bill leaves behind Margie, his wife of 69 years, daughter and son-in-law, Pam and Ken Sumrow of Plano and son and daughter-in-law Jeff and Pam Binford of Farmers Branch, five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren with another expected in January.

He was first elected to the Farmers Branch City Council in 1969 and elected as Mayor in 1978. After serving two terms as Mayor, he left office in 1982. He later served as treasurer of the Farmers Branch Industrial Development Corporation and the Farmers Branch Housing Finance Corporation.

Bill was an insurance agent for Prudential Insurance Company for 40 years before retiring in 1997. While with Prudential, Bill earned the designation of Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) and various financial planning certifications.

When not spending time with his great grandchildren, Bill enjoyed golf and playing poker.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church in Farmers Branch https://www.christ4u.org/.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ United Methodist Church or Children’s Medical Foundation https://give.childrens.com/.

November is here which means Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) has come to an end. But don't let your guard down! Now's the time to apply those cyber-security lessons to both at work and at home during the holidays – prime time for 'hack attacks' and digital fraud. In fact, Computer Security Day is Wednesday, November 30!

A recent report stated that phishing is up over 60% in the last year and still the most popular and effective method to gain initial access. Even as defensive technologies improve, individual users remain the last barrier to stop a data breach.

So THANK YOU for taking the time to complete the training materials and we in IT hope that it offered some additional guidance and tips on how to better protect yourself from malicious actors – at home, at work, during the holiday season and otherwise.

To those that completed the course, prize winners will be chosen at random and will receive an email confirmation in the coming days.

Ever wish you knew more about Microsoft tools?

Ever want to brush up on the latest desktop technology?

Welcome to Brainstorm Quickhelp. It's available anytime, right at your fingertips. Go at your own pace, when it's convenient for you.

Just go to the MyApps waffle icon on Chrome. Then look for the Quickhelp icon. Click, and you'll automatically be logged in. 

Then start learning! Read more HERE.

All employees and their families are welcome to join us at the Veterans Day Celebration this Friday at Liberty Plaza.

It will include a patriotic ceremony, live performances, free burgers and hot dogs (while supplies last), caricature and air brush artists, military displays and an amazing laser light show.

The event is free to all and will run 4-7 p.m. Bring your blankets and chairs and enjoy the show!

Show your attitude of gratitude with chocolate!

Our annual Thanks & Giving Candy Gram event is a fun way to show how much you appreciate the hard work of our City employees. Just complete a form at the City receptionist's desk, or call her and ask for the form via interoffice!

• Free for all part-time and full-time employees.
• Every employee is eligible to send up to two candy grams to two different employees.
• To participate, complete a Candy-Gram form for each recipient.
• All forms must be submitted to City Receptionist by November 22.

Give thanks this holiday by giving to a family need!

From October 31 through November 18, donation boxes will be at City Hall, the Fire Administration building and the police station.

Please consider donating canned goods, coats, toiletries and/or several other items in need. Then take a photo with your donation to earn 25 points on GooseChase.

All proceeds will be given to Metrocrest Services. For more details, click HERE.

NAME: Joshua Fuentes

TITLE: Maintenance Worker

DEPARTMENT: Public Works

SERVING THE CITY SINCE: Nov 2022

PREVIOUS JOB / WORK: City of Carrollton

HOMETOWN: Houston

TELL US YOUR STORY: I've been driving with my CDL for ten years and operating commercial equipment for eight years. I've lived here in the City of Farmers Branch for five years. I'm happy to say I live and work in the same City!

WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO DO: Fishing and watching my son play baseball.  

FUN FACT: I love coaching!

The artwork from the Mayor’s Veterans Day art challenge is now on display in the City Hall lobby.

The theme of the contest was "What Does Freedom Mean to You?"

The winners are: 

1st place- Alessia Chavez

Senior at Creekview High School

Artwork title: United Families 

2nd place- Ayden Elmore

Junior at RL Turner High School 

Artwork title: Freedom Moment

3rd place- Joselyn Lopez

Sophomore at RL Turner High School

Artwork title: Freedom from Those Who Control

All CFBISD art students were eligible to apply. The artwork will be on display through November 10. The top three winners will be recognized at the City's Veterans Day ceremony on November 11 in Liberty Plaza.