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April 2012 Connection www.huntsvilletx.govwww.huntsvilletx.govwww.huntsvilletx.govwww.huntsvilletx.gov CITY CONNECTION Volume 8, Issue 7 April 2012April 2012April 2012April 2012 Calendar April 2012April 2012April 2012April 2012 3 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 4 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 5 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 12 p.m. 7 E-Recycling Day - See page 3 11 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste CALL IN REQUIRED - 294-5796 17 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 18 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 19 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 5:30 p.m. 25 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste May 2012May 2012May 2012May 2012 1 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 2 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 3 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 12 p.m. 9 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste 15 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 16 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 17 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 5:30 p.m. 23 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste 30 Yard Waste Trimming Collection Submit requests for Heavy Trash pick-up before noon on Monday, the week of the pick-up at 294-5796. The City of Huntsville is finalizing the 2012 Citizen Survey, and the participation of all citizens is crucial to the continued improvement of City services. The Citizen Survey is a biennial effort by the City of Huntsville to gauge citizens' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with certain areas. It includes approximately 35 questions related to City services, quality of life and future development. The survey will be available to residents in two forms. First, a printed version will appear in the next two months of the City Connection, the May and June 2012 issues. Second, a link to the survey will be available on the City's Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov. The survey will be available on the Web site for the same time period as the paper surveys, from May 1 to June 30, 2012. For those residents who choose to complete the physical form of the survey, several return options will be available. Citizens may (1) Bring the completed survey to City Hall - 1212 Avenue M; (2) Mail the survey to City Hall - 1212 Ave- nue M, Huntsville, TX 77340; or (3) Return the survey in the same envelope as their monthly utility bill. Additional postage should not be required. "The Citizen Survey is extremely important to the City because it helps us know what you, the citizens, would like to see improved or changed," City Council member and Communications and Service Committee member Lydia Montgom- ery said. "Whether you choose to complete a physical survey or the online sur- vey, you'll answer the same set of questions and help identify changes you would like to see. "The City is here to serve you, and the completed surveys we receive will help us to serve you more efficiently." Printed surveys should be returned to the City no later than July 1 or as soon as possible after they receive their June issue of the City Connection. With any questions, please contact the City Secretary's office at (936) 291-5403 or (936) 291-5413. How to take the surveyHow to take the surveyHow to take the surveyHow to take the survey The online survey will be available on the home page of the City's Web site, and it can be completed by selecting one or more of the answers beneath each question. Some questions will require only one response, while others will give survey participants the option to choose as many answer choices as they find appropriate. For the printed survey, the questions will feature a line of possible responses for each answer. Questions will be answered by circling one or more of the answer options provided. Questions with multiple responses required will feature abbreviated answer banks, and the person taking the survey will provide an answer for each choice. For example, with the question "Regarding safety in your community, how safe or unsafe do you feel in the following city locations?", an answer bank of six op- tions will appear below. The answer options - "Very Safe," "Safe," "Unsafe," "Very Unsafe," and "No opin- ion" - will be listed underneath the question. Then, to the right of each answer, the abbreviation of each answer option will be written. Those who take the sur- vey would circle "VS," "S," "U," "VU," or "NO" for each of the six options. The correct way to select answers in the printed survey would appear as follows: EXAMPLE QUESTION #1: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following customer service activities?Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following customer service activities?Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following customer service activities?Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following customer service activities? (Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, No Opinion)(Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, No Opinion)(Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, No Opinion)(Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, No Opinion) The courtesy of the person answering the telephone VS S D VD NO Directed to the correct department VS S D VD NO Employee(s) seemed concerned about my problem VS S D VD NO Employee(s) asked adequate questions to determine the nature of my problem VS S D VD NO Employee(s) returned my call in a reasonable time VS S D VD NO 2012 Citizen Survey available in coming months2012 Citizen Survey available in coming months2012 Citizen Survey available in coming months2012 Citizen Survey available in coming months Survey will be available online, in May/June issues of ConnectionConnectionConnectionConnection Page 2 CITY CONNECTION Heavy Trash SpecificsHeavy Trash SpecificsHeavy Trash SpecificsHeavy Trash Specifics Heavy Trash/Large Yard Waste Collection is for residential customers only. Either an online form OR call-in is required (936) 294-5796. Requests must be made no later than Monday, the week of, by noon. Customers must leave their complete name, service address, contact number and a detailed description of the items to be placed on the pick-up list. Heavy Trash will be collected on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month, while Yard Waste will be collected on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month. Guidelines for Heavy Trash / Large Yard Waste Collection (1) All items must be at the street's edge no later than 6:00 AM on the day of the scheduled pick-up but no earlier than five days prior to the scheduled pick-up. (2) Items shall be placed no more than two feet from the street's edge, approximately five (5) feet from gar- bage cans and other obstacles such as mail boxes, utility poles, fences and parked cars. Avoid placing large brush and bulky items under low-hanging tree limbs, utility lines or cables. Heavy Trash (1) Heavy trash is large yard waste, furniture, appliances/white goods, material from minor household pro- jects and miscellaneous heavy debris. (2) Pile (including brush) should not exceed four (4) feet in height, ten (10) feet in length and five (5) feet in depth. If the pile exceeds these dimensions, this will NOT be considered acceptable Heavy Trash and shall be removed and disposed of by the residential customer. The following items and locations DO NOT qualify for Heavy Trash pickup: (1) Household garbage of any kind; (2) Tree stumps or small yard waste (bagged, canned or bundled trim- mings); (3) Vehicle batteries, parts, oil, tires, antifreeze or vehicles; (4) Commercial businesses, commercially generated heavy trash/large yard waste or tree removal service; (5) Construction, demolition or remodeling materials (to include but not limited to: drywall, siding, concrete, bricks, blocks, dirt, rocks, etc.); (6) Card- board or recycling; (7) Dead animals; (8) Pallets; (9) Barrels, unidentified sealed cans, paint cans, hazardous waste, swimming pool chemicals, water softener salt or chemicals; and (10)Property vegetation clearance (lot clearing). Yard Waste (1) Large yard waste includes limbs and branches which must be prepared for pickup by using the following guidelines: (2) Limbs and branches must be placed curbside and the cut ends must face the road. (3) Tree limbs cannot exceed (12) inches in diameter and must be cut to a maximum of five (5) feet in length. (4) Large brush must be stacked, unbound and in one pile along the road edge (see pile size limit above). These items shall be separated from any brush: (1) Appliances/white goods such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, large microwaves and miscellaneous metal appliances. (2) Material from minor household projects such as a toilet, a sink, a door etc. (3) Miscellaneous Heavy Debris such as TVs, furniture, mattresses, lawn mowers etc. Page 3 April April April April 2012 CITY CONNECTION Yard Waste SpecificsYard Waste SpecificsYard Waste SpecificsYard Waste Specifics Residential yard waste collection service is provided two to three times per month: The 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesday of each month, this is automatic and there is no call- in required. Yard waste is classified as leaves, grass, pine needles, yard clippings and small brush (green waste). The total number of bagged, canned or bundled yard waste is limited to twelve (12) per household per collection day. All yard waste materials must be placed with- in 2 feet of street's edge no later than 6:00 AM on the morning of the scheduled pick- up. Yard waste such as leaves, grass, pine needles or small clippings must be: (1) Bagged or placed in 30 gallon container gar- bage cans, (2) Can not exceed 50 pounds each, and (3) City-issued garbage carts can- not be filled with yard waste. Tree limbs and brush must be: (1) No longer than 4 feet in length, (2) Limbs no larger than 4 inches in diameter, (3) Must be tied securely in bundles which cannot exceed 2 feet in diameter and can’t exceed 50 pounds each. The following items and locations DO NOT qualify for Yard Waste pickup: (1) Household garbage of any kind, (2) Any- thing other than green waste: No flower pots, fertilizer, mulch, bags, dirt, rock, grav- el, etc., or (3) Commercial businesses or commercially generated yard waste. Bring your City Utility Bill showing that you pay garbage and dispose of your yard waste at the City Transfer Station for FREE. This excludes commercial customers, yard waste contractors and any lawn service providers. The Customer must be present with a cur- rent City garbage bill at the time of disposal. The yard trimmings must not be bagged. For more information, contact the Solid Waste Services Division at 936-294-5723. “What kind of garbage bags should I use?” While the Solid Waste Department does not have a specific policy for garbage bag types, Esther Herklotz – the Superintendent of Solid Waste and Recycling Services – said it is preferable for citizens to use: • Black/dark-colored bags for yard waste •White/clear bags for household garbage EEEE----Recycling DayRecycling DayRecycling DayRecycling Day Saturday, April 7Saturday, April 7Saturday, April 7Saturday, April 7 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Noon) Recycle old computers, computer parts, printers, monitors and other electronics for free!for free!for free!for free! Event to be held at the City of Huntsville Disposal and Recycling Facility - 590 I-45 North. If you have any questions about this event or about the City’s curbside recycling program, please call the Solid Waste & Recycling Division at 936-294-5743 or visit www.huntsvilletx.gov. Page 4 CITY CONNECTION Stats for February 2012Stats for February 2012Stats for February 2012Stats for February 2012 Fire:Fire:Fire:Fire: Police:Police:Police:Police: Calls for service: 4259 Accidents investigated: 679 Animal Control complaints investigated:54 Calls for service:83 Main alarm calls:12 Police/Fire: Police/Fire: Police/Fire: Police/Fire: 2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Huntsville residents enjoy a safe, healthy, affordable and historic community. Huntsville is an economically diverse and developing community. Huntsville residents enjoy and benefit from an attractive city with beautiful parks and lifelong educational and cultural opportunities. Huntsville is a well-managed, sustainable community that values its natural resources and provides exceptional public services. Huntsville is a friendly place where a warm welcome awaits both visitors and new residents. City Council finalizes strategic initiatives City Council finalizes strategic initiatives City Council finalizes strategic initiatives City Council finalizes strategic initiatives During Summer 2011, the City Council in place developed a set of strategic initiatives to summarize their most im- portant goals and hopes for the City of Huntsville. The purpose of writing the initiatives was to provide a framework for shaping the City’s operating budget, creat- ing a set of top priorities for Council initiatives and City policy. The City’s boards and commissions are also in the process of reviewing and considering the strategic initia- tives as related to their goals. At a recent City Council retreat - held in the newly expand- ed Huntsville Public Library - the council finalized their specific goals pertaining to each initiative, paving the way for the initiatives to be used for City business and in the budget planning process. “The strategic initiatives are very broad and general, and [at the recent Council retreat,] we took the next step and started identifying specific areas and needs where we can meet and implement aspects of those statements,” Mayor Mac Woodward said. “Some of the goals we identified were short-term, and we could look at them during the coming year’s budget cycle. Others are long-term, and we’ll be looking at those within the next year, two years or five years. “I think it’s also important for our citizens to know that a lot of the suggestions are not totally related to dollars. Many of our goals related to the strategic initiatives have to do with communication, cooperation and bring partners to the City to work with us to improve quality of life.” One of the goals discussed at the Council retreat was to measure the success and quality of organized sports parks in the City. Woodward said it was a prime example of a goal related to the strategic initiatives that would be measured by benchmarks other than cost. “Looking at the quality of the City’s sports parks, the Council hopes to monitor attendance, develop a full list of the organizations who utilize the parks, and ascertain future needs in those areas,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is find better ways to do things. That means considering what we are or aren’t doing now, how we could do it better, or even doing something entirely different.” Woodward said the Council’s work on the strategic initiatives helped them build a sense of direction and purpose for the City’s future. “The work we’ve done with the strategic initiatives has built a sense of cooperation and communication between Council members, and it also gets us ready for the budget process,” he said. “Not only have the discussions helped out Council think about what they want to accomplish in the next year, but they have also given them more of a sense of how many things are involved in the budget process. “By breaking down the strategic initiatives, they see how many departments we have to consider, how many things we do as a City, and how every action is sensitive to the revenues we have available and associated expenses.” Woodward said he feels the work done on the strategic initiatives by the Council has been very successful. “I appreciate all of Council's participation and the participation of department heads,” he said. “I think we're really moving in the right direction, and we will continue the process. “As these are open meetings, we welcome the public to hear our discussions, and we certainly welcome ideas and suggestions should a citizen wish to provide input.”