In 2019, Rowlett was named by US News and World Report as one of their Top 10 Great Small Towns to Retire. When a small town has a high quality of life and a good economy, it often begins to draw new residents. Rowlett has done just this, with our lake access providing natural beauty, the many entertainment options provided by the Department, and our location allowing convenient access to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. City of Rowlett staff work closely with the Senior Advisory Board, SCOR, local Baylor, Scott and White hospital staff and other senior community liaisons. The Senior Advisory Board will hold public input meetings to hear the voices of all Rolwett Rowlett seniors during this process. The Senior Advisory Board is appointed by the Rowlett City Council to represent the senior citizens and their concerns in Rowlett, so and this group will play a critical role in ensure ensuring the voices of our older residents are heard. all voices are heard. The Department Leadership Teams in Rowlett work very closely together and meet bi-monthly to discuss agendas and current issues. This fosters a good relationship relationship between city departments and ensures this team can work together toward this common goal.The City of Rowlett Parks and Recreation provided and hosted over 287 programs with 17,447 participants in FY2019. The Department provides both active and social programming to seniors over the age of 60 years of age. The City of Rowlett also provides transportation vouchers for seniors that are Rowlett citizens and over the age of 60. Last year over 5,000 passes were given away. The City has a partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit that allows us to purchase discounted regional day passes which are allocated to be handed out to seniors. Seniors are able to request five per week and up to fifteen per month. Rowlett also offers a $30,000 senior tax exemption as well as a senior tax freeze, Rowlett is still one of only seven Dallas County cities that offer the tax freeze.