Loading...
City Connection February 2019 CITY CONNECTION Volume 15, Issue 5 February 2019 Calendar February 2019 5 - City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 6 - Yard Waste Trimming Collection 7 - Planning Commission at 12:00 p.m. 13 - Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste 19 - City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 20 - Yard Waste Trimming Collection 21 - Planning Commission at 5:30 p.m. 27 - Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste March 2019 5 - City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 6 - Yard Waste Trimming Collection 7 - Planning Commission - City Hall at 12:00 p.m. 13 - Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste 19 - City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 20- Yard Waste Trimming Collection 21 - Planning Commission - City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Submit requests for Heavy Trash pick-up before noon on Wednesday, the week prior to pick-up, at 294-5796. Learn more about City events at www.HuntsvilleTX.gov The Huntsville City Council approved Resolution 2019-14 during their regu- lar meeting held on December 18. The Council expressed opposition to Leg- islative interference with local services, local revenue, and local control. The Resolution notes the dramatic growth of jobs and population in Texas cities in recent decades is indisputa- ble proof that the deci- sions Texans have made at the local level have produced the kinds of communities where people want to live, work, and do business; local issues call for local solutions that reflect the uniqueness of each community; the ability of Texans to create vibrant, livable cities is under assault from state officials who wish to dictate that every community and neighborhood conform to their agenda; some in the Texas legislature have willfully disregarded the voice of the voters of Texas cities and pre-empted the will of Texans by seeking to overturn approved bal- lot propositions where citizens have sought to deal with issues affecting their communities and to improve conditions for their residents, such as bag bans, temporary rentals, fracking and ride-sharing, even in situations where voters utilized direct democracy tools to bring these decisions before the public – an offense to the American system of participatory democracy and the historic Texan spirit of independence; and state officials are attempting to put one-size-fits-all restriction on the annual budgets of all cities and coun- ties through revenue caps and spending limits, under the guise of property tax relief. "A lot of people don't realize how potentially dangerous this can be," Councilmember Tish Humphrey said. "This is huge, and citizens should be talking to our representa- tives." According to Texas Municipal League’s “Our Home, Our Deci- sions” campaign, some state offi- cials are trying to mislead Texans into believing cities are to blame for high property taxes. But here’s the truth: Cities only collect 16 percent of property taxes. Texas property taxes are high because the legislature has been cutting the state’s share of funding for education. In 2017, the Legislature adopted a state budget that is based on our school property taxes increasing by 14 per- cent over two years. City council believes that local decision-making gives Huntsville a voice: in how much they want to invest in infrastructure improvements like roads, new police and fire stations, water and sewage treatment and recreation facili- ties; and in rules and regulations that protect their home values and the character of their neighborhoods. Citizens of Huntsville want the decisions that affect their homes and neigh- borhoods to reflect our local priorities and values. The video shown during the Dec. 18 and Jan. 3 meetings, along with Reso- lution 2019-14 and the letter sent to Rep. Bailes, can be found at HuntsvilleTX.gov/OurHomeOurDecision For more information, contact CitySecretary@HuntsvilleTX.gov or call 936- 291-5400. Council expresses opposition to legislation #HomeSweetHuntsville Member of the Huntsville City Council have spent the past month building strong relationships with one another, as well as area representatives while attending the 2019 Greater Houston Partnership Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 31st (photo to left). The Council took time to take fun photos with longtime Huntsville Photographer Paul Olle for annual photos before heading into a workshop and regular meeting held on Tuesday, January 15 (bottom right). Huntsville City Manager Aron Kulhavy led Council through the Strategic Planning workshop for 2019 on Tuesday, January 29th (bottom left). Page 2 CITY CONNECTION COUNCIL CORNER: Building a strong foundation Herb Festival at the Wynne Home The Texas Thyme Unit of the Herb Society of America will have a selection of herbs, hard-to-find perennials and vegetable plants for sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Satur- day, March 30. This is a free event being held at the Wynne Home Arts Center, 1428 11th Street. There will be many local ven- dors, music, artists, herb talks, and chil- dren's activities too. Fun for the whole fami- ly. This is a once-a-year event! For more information, call 936-891-5024. Are you looking to change up your exercise routine? Love to dance? Check out the City of Huntsville Parks and Leisure’s Dance Fitness at 5:30 pm Tuesday and Thursday at Huntsville Intermediate 5th Grade Gym. Classes are $2 per session. Page 3 CITY CONNECTION Curbside recycling guidelines: 1. Rinse all plastics and cans to remove residue 2. Plastics 1-7 stamped with number and symbol accepted 3. Flatten items to save room inside of cart 4. Keep cart five (5) feet from all other objects including vehicles 5. Carts must be placed at the curb or street’s edge no later than 6:00 a.m. on the day of collection. Carts must be removed from the street’s edge by the end of the collection day (carts cannot be stored at the street’s edge) Items that cannot be placed in the City cart: Garbage, food waste, yard waste, loose shredded paper, glass/oil/filters, batteries, cell phones, electronics, Styrofoam, aluminum foil, or plastic bags of any kind. No plastic wrap, shrink wrap, or bubble wrap. No Styrofoam, even if it has a recycling number and symbol on item. Recycling Drop-Off Center Information: The Recycling Center accepts self-hauled recyclable items and is located at 590 I-45 North. The Recycling Center Attendant will be onsite to assist customers from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Drop-offs can still be made Monday - Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and holiday closings are posted. Recycling Drop-off Center Guidelines: Aluminum - Soda cans, beer cans: Flattened/unflattened. Keep aluminum cans separate from steel cans. NO FOIL, BAKING PANS OR FOOD TRAYS. Steel Cans - Food cans, pet food cans, aerosol cans: Rinse out the can, you can leave the label on. Aerosol cans must be empty. Newspaper - Whatever comes inside the newspaper can be recycled. Stack and put in paper bags or cardboard boxes. Throw away plastic rain sleeves and rubber bands. Magazines - catalogs, phone books: Keep separate from newspaper. Place in brown bags or small cardboard boxes. DO NOT place in plastic bags. Paper - White or colored paper, remove paper clips, rubber bands and sta- ples if possible. Put in small boxes or paper stacks. Glass - Clear, green or brown only: Throw away lids, rinse out. You can leave the label on. Place glass in separate containers. NO window panes, light bulbs or dishware. Cardboard - Toilet/paper towel cores, food boxes, medicine boxes, shoe boxes, shipping/moving boxes, sugar bags, dog/cat food bags which in- clude a recycling logo, paper bags. NO packing materials, plastic liners or foam. Plastics - Numbered 1-7: Recycling symbol and number are required. Milk Jugs and Water Jugs - Throw away cap/lid. Rinse with warm water and try to flatten. Keep these jugs separate from soda bottles or colored plastic. Other #1 and #2 Plastic Containers - Examples of other recyclable contain- ers: syrup bottles #3, snap on coffee lids #4, cottage cheese containers #5, yogurt containers #6, and ketchup bottles #7 Drop-off Center also accepts: Used motor oil, oil filters, cooking oil & anti- freeze. Visit www.huntsvilletx.gov for curbside recycling schedules, full list of ac- ceptable curbside items, and more recycling information. Remember - Recycle Grease and Antifreeze! Do you plan on replacing the antifreeze in your vehi- cle this winter? Do you plan on disposing of other kinds of liquids, including motor oil, peanut oil or cooking oil? Don’t dispose of those materials down the drain – recy- cle them! The City of Huntsville Solid Waste Services offers free, year-round recycling for these liquids as well as other items for residential customers at the Recycling Drop-Off Center, located at 590 I-45 North, from 7:30 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Other items, including oil filters, are recycled in spe- cifically marked collection barrels. As they are flamma- ble, neither gasoline nor diesel from lawn equipment or vehicles will be accepted for disposal or recycling. Unfortunately, due to disposal restrictions, the Solid Waste Services is not able to pick up liquids on a curbside basis. Call 936-294-5743 for more infor- mation City of Huntsville recycling guidelines - Direct questions to (936)294-5712 CITY CONNECTION Page 4