Several District 1 high school seniors that currently serve on the Garland Youth Council will be graduating this year. Chairman Jaywin Malhi, who has served in that position for two years, is among them. There will be at least two appointments early summer from District 1—if the historical trend continues, additional students from District 1 may be selected by other Council members. Five from District 1 currently serve!
 
If you know someone that will be in high school next year and would be interested in serving on the Garland Youth Council, please mention the following press release to them! Western parts of the district and city are in the Richardson school district. Those students are also eligible!
 

City of Garland Press Release:

Garland Youth Council Accepting Applications

The Garland City Council wants to hear from the city’s youth and invites young people to apply to serve on the Garland Youth Council. The Youth Council’s mission is to provide a forum, which educates Garland’s youth to the various workings of City business, and allows youth to voice ideas and concerns.
 
Garland residents who will be in grades 9-12 during the 2010-11 school year are eligible to apply. Each applicant should submit a completed GYC application and two letters of reference by May 14, 2010 to Dorothy White, Public & Media Affairs Manager, 200 N Fifth Street, Garland, TX 75040.
 
Applicants should plan to attend at least one Youth Council meeting. Regular meetings are set for the first Tuesday of each month, with committee meetings on the third Tuesday of each month. The GYC meets at Granger Recreation Center, 1310 W. Avenue F. The Mayor and each of Garland’s eight City Council members will select two applicants to serve a one-year term.
 
Applications and meeting agendas are available at Garland City Hall, 200 N. Fifth Street, in the City Secretary’s office and www.garlandyouthcouncil.org. For additional information, contact Dorothy White at 972-205-2879 or dwhite@ci.garland.tx.us.
 

Register by end of Thursday to get a T-Shirt!

City of Garland Press Release:

Annual "Trash-Off" Set for April 10

Garland citizens are invited to join Keep Garland Beautiful for the annual Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 8:30 am - noon.
 
This state-wide event encourages the citizens to join forces and clean up Texas roadsides, neighborhoods, parks and more. Each year during the Trash Off, volunteers help improve local water quality, restore natural beauty, and reduce potential threats to human health and wildlife.
 
Bring your family, friends, co-workers or organization members and join us for this fun and important event. This is a great opportunity for students to earn community service hours.
 
You can choose a location to clean or we’ll help you find a spot. Take a look around your neighborhood, school or local park area. The goal is to keep all of Garland beautiful!
 
Trash-Off headquarters (*Registration, Supplies and Awards Picnic) will be at Granger Recreation Center (Annex bldg) at 1310 W. Avenue F, Garland, Texas 75040. Trash bags, gloves and a limited number of trash "tongs,: will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
 
From 11 a.m. to noon we will celebrate our success with a complimentary picnic lunch, music and a fun awards program.
 
You can register in a number of ways. *Registration must be received by April 1 to receive an event T-Shirt.

• On-line at www.garlandenvironmentalwaste.com
• Email to lreeves@ci.garland.tx.us
• Call Lorrie Reeves at 972-205-3542

Join good people doing great things at this year’s Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off!

 
To those just seeing this for the first time, my apologies. It's been everywhere in the Garland news spots and I wanted to emphasize the deadline to receive a t-shirts. So, you still have time!
 

From State Sen John Carona's Email Update:
 
There are a number of property tax exemptions available to Texas residents. This month, I am highlighting some of the exemptions for which you or your family may qualify.
 
General Residence Exemption
You may qualify for this exemption if:

1. you owned this property on January 1, and
2. you occupied the property as your principal residence on January 1, and
3. you or your spouse have not claimed a residence homestead exemption on any other property.

65 or Older Exemption
If you are 65 years of age or older you qualify for this exemption. You cannot claim the disability exemption if you choose to claim this exemption.
 
Disability Exemption
You qualify for this exemption if you are eligible for payment of disability benefits under the federal Old Age, Survivor's and Disability Insurance Act or if you are considered disabled as defined by this Act. Documentation must be provided to receive this exemption.
 
100% Disabled Veteran Exemption
Under a measure I sponsored, you qualify for a 100% Disabled Veteran homestead exemption if you receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

1. 100% disability compensation due to a service-connected disability or
2. a rating of 100% percent disabled or a determination of individual unemployability from the VA.

Documentation from the VA must be submitted to prove that a veteran qualifies under these guidelines.
 
55 or Older Surviving Spouse of a Person Who Received the 65 or Older Exemption
You qualify for this exemption if you are 55 years of age or older on the date your spouse died and your deceased spouse was receiving the age 65 or older tax exemption on this residence homestead or would have applied and qualified for the exemption in the year of
the spouse's death.
 
In addition to the above listed exemptions, you may qualify for other exemptions and/or credits. You may wish to contact your local appraisal district to determine your eligibility for such exemptions. The Comptroller's Property Tax division may provide other helpful information. In Dallas County, the Dallas Central Appraisal District provides copies of forms online and other important calendar information.
 
Applications for a residence homestead exemption are due between January 1 and April 30 annually. You may file a late homestead exemption if you file it no later than one year after the tax delinquency date. If the chief appraiser grants your application exemption, you do not need to reapply annually, unless the chief appraiser sends you a new application asking you to reapply.
 
Finally, Dallas County property owners will begin receiving "Real Property Notices of Appraised Value" around April 30. This is the notice of the valuation of your property value for taxation purposes. If you wish to protest the value of your property (not the taxes) with the appraisal district, the deadline is June 1, 2010. If you wish to protest the tax rates (the taxes) you should visit your city council, school board and county commissioners during the summer months as they prepare their budgets and set the tax rates by September.
 

 
Sen Carona sends a regular email newsletter to constituents to share information on the Texas Senate and legislature. He also includes information that helps navigate some of the corridors and peculiarities of government. Anyone interested in the newsletter (and curious about all the other areas of information that I didn't include) can subscribe here.
 
Sen Carona represents the west half of our district (west of Lavon Ave/SH 78). I most recently posted on him here, an article in D Magazine.
 

If you wanted to be in a region that is growing both in population and business opportunities, where would you go? The evidence over and over is that you're already there. Texas stands to gain four additional seats in the US House of Representatives after the census, double any other state. The Metroplex is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country and we're growing faster than the first three. All that should translate to this area being a wonderful place to live, work, and invest.
 
As the region grows, where will Garland fall? We have to take advantage of the growth that is going to be here in this area to reinvigorate many areas of the city. Plans are in the works and the Council should start seeing them soon (real soon measured in government time). We have started to do more to promote the city. A whole development code and comprehensive plan are soon to be revealed. I'm optimistic.
 
If you want to see Garland grow and rebuild—not haphazardly but in a planned and friendly way—let your Council representatives know. If you want to keep doing it the way we always have and to preserve the city as it is now, you can tell them that, too.
 

From Forbes.com/Opinions:

Don't Mess With Texas

Joel Kotkin, 03.30.10, 12:00 PM EDT
 
Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin are shaping the 21st-century American city.
 

Joel Kotkin Photo source: Forbes.com

One of the most ironic aspects of our putative "Age of Obama" is how little impact it has had on the nation's urban geography. Although the administration remains dominated by boosters from traditional blue state cities—particularly the president's political base of Chicago--the nation's metropolitan growth continues to shift mostly toward a handful of Sunbelt red state metropolitan areas.
 
Our Urbanist in Chief may sit in the Oval Office, but Americans continue to vote with their feet for the adopted hometown of widely disdained former President George W. Bush. According to the most recent Census estimates, the Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas, region added 146,000 people between 2008 and 2009—the most of any region in the country—a healthy 2.3% increase.
 
Other Texas cities also did well. Longtime rival Houston sat in second, with an additional 140,000 residents. Smaller Austin added 50,000—representing a remarkable 3% growth—while San Antonio grew by some 41,000 people.
 
In contrast, most blue state mega cities—with the exception of Washington, D.C.—grew much more slowly. The New York City region's rate of growth was just one-fifth that of Dallas or Houston, while Los Angeles barely reached one-third the level of the Texas cities.
 
These trends should continue: According to Moody's Economy.com, Texas' big cities are entering economic recovery mode well ahead of almost all the major centers along the East or West Coasts. This represents a continuation of longer-term trends, both before and after the economic crisis. Between 2000 and 2009 New York gained 95,000 jobs while Chicago lost 257,000, Los Angeles over 167,000 and San Francisco some 216,000. Meanwhile, Dallas added nearly 150,000 positions and Houston a hefty 250,000.
 
This leads me to believe that the most dynamic future for America urbanism—and I believe there is one—lies in Texas' growing urban centers. To reshape a city in a sustainable way, you need to have a growing population, a solid and expanding job base and a relatively efficient city administration.
 
None of these characteristics apply to places like President Obama's hometown of Chicago, which continues to suffer from the downturn—but you would never know it based on media coverage of the Windy City.
 
The New Yorker, for example, recently published a lavish tribute to the city and its mayor, Richard Daley. But as long-time Chicago observer Steve Bartin points out, the story missed—or simply ignored—many critical facts. Mistaking Daley's multi-term tenure as proof of effectiveness, it failed to recognize the region's continued loss of jobs, decaying infrastructure, rampant corruption and continued out-migration of the area's beleaguered middle class.
 
Read the whole article here.
 
Joel Kotkin is a distinguished presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University. He is also an adjunct fellow at the Legatum Institute in London and serves as executive editor of newgeography.com. He writes the weekly New Geographer column for Forbes. His latest book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, is out now from Penguin Press.
 

 
Mr Kotkin can be an interesting writer. I don't agree with him on several of his opinions (not specifically to this article) and I don't support such a gross generalization of W. but is does serve to illustrate the contrast and irony between declining areas of the country and growing areas.
 
I post this to emphasize the expected growth in our area and wonder how our city will embrace—or avoid—participating. Mr Kotkin's latest book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, chronologically aligns to the recently completed Vision North Texas/North Texas 2050 plan mentioned here.
 

From Government Technology:

Study Finds Americans Rely on Library Computers for Internet Access

Mar 29, 2010
By Karen Wilkinson, Staff Writer
 

In the first report of its kind, researchers have quantified the obvious—more and more Americans are using the Internet at public libraries to keep up with friends and family, do research and find jobs.
 
The findings of the report, Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries, also detail the effects the growing demand has on public libraries—one-third of libraries report inadequate technology and say they lack even minimally adequate Internet connections to meet demand.
 
* * *
 
Highlights of the report include:

• 40 percent of library users (about 30 million people) received help with career needs. Among these users, 75 percent reported they searched for a job online, and half of these users filled out an online application or submitted a resume via the Internet.
• 37 percent focused on health issues. The vast majority of these users (82 percent) logged on to learn about a disease, illness or medical condition. One-third of these users sought out doctors or health-care providers and of these, about half followed up by making appointments for care.
• 42 percent received help with educational needs. Among these users, 37 percent (an estimated 12 million students) used their local library computer to do homework for a class.
• Library computers linked patrons to their government, communities and civic organizations. Sixty percent of users (43.3 million people) used a library's computer resources to connect with others.

Read the complete article here and download the report here.
 

 
The study and subsequent media coverage are welcome but the news is not surprising to Garland librarians, administrators, or patrons. A 2008 regional story that very much focused on Garland detailed locally much the same information that is in the above study. Once again we are a leading city.
 
Libraries are a vital service to an informed and free society and access to the Internet is an important and vital link to the world at large. Yet libraries are under attack, too. Council members receive lots of e-mail and one I received today questioned why a city would spend tax revenues for books when not everyone uses them. It's a freedom thing.
 
Not many years after the founding of the country, Congress decided it needed a library. Today the Library of Congress is the library of all libraries, with five copies of every book published. (I think that's what I read when I was there earlier this month.) To stock that first Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection to the library. Below is my picture of that collection taken last year (and original post here).
 

From About the Library, Library of Congress website: "The Library was founded in 1800, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the nation. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the Capitol building (where the Library was housed) and destroyed the Library's core collection of 3,000 volumes. On January 30, 1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950."

Our intuition can be a useful sense to anticipate actions but it can also lead us down errant paths. The study of logic recognizes that and labels some types of arguments as logical fallacies. The ad hominem argument is one that attacks a person's character and actions to convince the listener that something unrelated is true. It works quite often. However, it's totally invalid and proves nothing. It wouldn't work with, say, a robot but intuition allows it to sometimes work with us. (It's been a special favorite of politicians in Washington lately.) (See, I just used it.) (Actually, it's probably true in the Washington case but I've not offered any proof, just opinion.)
 
Does logic tells us which ring to watch in the three-ring circus that a pending drug trial in Dallas has become after three Garland police officers have given testimony, but not in the usual sense? The circus opened with the trial. The second ring opened when two officers testifying at the trial publicly questioned the veracity of the the third, arresting officer Dennis Morrow. As I mentioned here when I first posted on the case, I know nothing more than what has been in the news (which is only proper). An article in yesterday's Dallas Morning News reports that Officer Morrow may not have accounted for money to informants properly.
 

Garland police officer admits to questionable practice with informants

02:13 PM CDT on Friday, March 26, 2010
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
teiserer@dallasnews.com
 
Garland police Officer Dennis Morrow admitted during a hearing Thursday that he sometimes had informants sign pay sheets without immediately filling in the amount he paid them – a practice deemed questionable by law enforcement experts – but he denied ever stealing any money.
 
Under questioning by Dallas County prosecutor Tim Gallagher, Morrow testified that he did realize that having informants sign blank pay sheets could create an appearance problem for him.
 
"You could [infer] all kinds of different things," Morrow testified.
 
[Read more here.]
 

 
The article adequately covers the defense's assault on Officer Morrow's character. If his actions were outside department policy in any way, it will be damaging to his drug case and his career. We don't yet know that. Internal Affairs had apparently not found any improper actions. We have to be careful to not commit a logical fallacy, even if our intuition is screaming along one of those paths. No dots have not been connected.
 
The third ring opened when the Dallas Morning News sought police internal affairs documents that the Garland city attorney's office believe are protected by state law.
 

From the Dallas Morning News Crime Blog:

Garland city attorneys stirred up that newspaper obtained "confidential" records

11:01 PM Thu, Mar 25, 2010
Tanya Eiserer/Reporter
 
It's not often that my name is tossed around as much as it was today in a Dallas County courtroom.
 
By way of background, I recently wrote a story about Garland police Officer Dennis Morrow who has been accused by his fellow officers of misrepresenting what happened during a July 2009 drug bust.
 
As I explained in a prior blog post, I sought to obtain a copy of the internal affairs investigation under the state's open records law, but was blocked because of a little-known state statute that exempts certain internal affairs records from public view.
 
The three Garland city attorneys who showed up to Judge Pat McDowell's court today exhibited great consternation that I had obtained a copy of the investigation through other means.
 
Assistant City Attorney Mike Betz told Judge Pat McDowell that the legislature had made these records confidential as a way to prevent officers from being "drug publicly through the mud when an investigation has not revealed wrongdoing."
 
In asking McDowell to issue a protective order, Betz pointed to a provision of the state law that he claimed made the release of the records a crime.
 
"So let's be clear, a crime has been committed," Betz said. "I'm not saying Ms. Eiserer committed a crime. Whoever released these records to her has committed a crime under this statute and I'm just asking the court to issue a protective order to prevent a crime from being committed."
 
Betz also asked the judge to recall the documents to anybody that has them, including me. (Now, that would have been an interesting turn of events if the judge had done so, and I'm sure the newspaper's attorneys would have had a field day.)
 
In the end, Judge McDowell declined Garland's request to issue any sort of recall order, noting that the proverbial cat was already out of that bag. He also noted that he had given the same records to a number of attorneys.
 
"Ms. Eiserer is certainly a very industrious reporter," McDowell said. (Thanks, Judge. I took that as a high compliment.)
 
Incidentally, McDowell did grant the city's request that a protective order now be placed over the documents that Garland has turned over to the court.
 
Later on, I asked defense attorney Bill Wirskye, who was involved in Thursday's hearing, what he thought about what had transpired in the courtroom. Here is the scathing response he sent via email:
 
"Garland PD and their phalanx of city attorneys should be more worried about their officers committing felonies in violation of the Penal Code than someone violating an obscure and inapplicable provision of the Government Code," he said. "It never ceases to amaze me the lengths these 'public servants' will go to shield themseves from an independent and searching review of their actions. Clearly they are embarassed that they swept this misconduct under the rug."
 

 
At this point, I'm not so sure others are trying to present just the facts and not insert personal opinions. Our attorney's office would be expected to follow the law; that's what they have done and the judge agrees. I don't get the acerbic quote being included from the defense attorney. What does one expect from the defense? Capitulation? It's important to note that the judge did not see the law as an "inapplicable provision of the Government Code" and neither did the DMN since they're not planning a "field day."
 
As to not being "worried about their officers committing felonies in violation of the Penal Code," I assure everyone that we all are. If the defense attorney can connect the dots, he will. Until then, it's conjecture.
 
The reporter following this case says she could not legally obtain internal affairs documents because there was no suspension of more than a day involved. Still, she did obtain a copy, which everyone admits (except the defense attorney apparently) was a violation of the law by whoever gave it to her. In a responding comment to one of her blog posts, Ms Eiserer says, "Frankly, I could care less about investigatins [sic] regarding minor procedural violations, ie a minor car wreck, being late for roll call or the like. What I do care about are allegations of police brutality, excessive force and other types of serious police misconduct. Surely, you do not think that all police departments are as above board as you claims yours is? Unfortunately, there has been a long-standing practice of many departments to hide serious misconduct rather than deal with it head-on. Tanya"
 
There's still room for another ring in this circus. We don't know who gave Ms Eiserer a "tip" eight months ago or the motivation, or who gave her the legally-protected documents. Has she decided that our police department is hiding "serious misconduct rather than deal with it head-on?" We don't know how the defense attorney got information that just happened to take him down this path of inquiry at this particular time. We have officers arrayed against one another but we don't know the truthfulness of any of the statements, any hidden grudges, or what might be simple misunderstandings.
 
This show's not over.
 

New trails are being constructed in the Spring Creek Forest and a new visitor's center will hopefully be constructed this year. More people will soon be able to access and enjoy the unique forest but that will create greater challenges for the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest. Matt Mortimer, president, shared the society's schedule recently and it reads like great times in the outdoors.
 
Matt and the Society invite everyone to participate in their events and to consider being a member. It's a love of nature:
 

 
The weather looks good for this weekend. I will be out there cutting some privet before the forest fully greens up. Come join me for this bonus work session!
 
March 28—Bonus Work session, 9 am-11 am
4848 N. Garland Ave.
 
We will work work pretty near this little 3-car parking lot clearing privet. More parking is available in the shopping center. If you want to see what a really bad privet infestation looks like, this is it.
 
Here are some more upcoming events:

Photo: SpringCreekForest.org

• April 6—Meeting, 7 pm
  N. Garland Library
   
  Presentation by David and Christy Ilfrey from NativeDave.com. "Sustainable Landscape Design for North Central Texas." They will define sustainable design and explain its application to landscape design. Next they will discuss their core design principles, then identify plants native to North Central Texas.
   
  Finally, they will present photos of landscape projects that illustrate ways thoughtful and nature-driven design promotes conservation, preservation, restoration and celebration of local natural resources. The focus will be on residential projects with occasional reference to commercial or educational sites.
   
• April 10—Work Session, 9 am-11 am
  1770 Holford
   
  Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off. We will participate in the Garland event by picking up litter at the preserve. We'll meet at 1770 Holford, then fan out to all parts of the forest. Garland has a friendly competition to fill the most garbage bags and to find the most interesting piece of litter. If interested, we can carpool to the Garland awards ceremony and celebration from 11:00 a.m. to noon at Granger Recreation Center (Annex Bldg.) 1310 W. Avenue F, Garland, Texas 75040. More information here.
   
• April 14—Wildflower Walk, 6 pm-7:30 pm
  1787 Holford
   
  Nature Walk after work! Grab a bite at Whataburger and check out Jim Varnum's evening wildflower walk. Always a lot of fun for you and your family and friends. This is a leisurely walk through the meadow to look for birds and wildflowers.
   
• April 24—Bird Walk, 8 am-10 am
  1787 Holford
   
  Jack Hill will lead the group through the prairie and along the creek looking for birds. Last year we saw scissor-tailed flycatchers, vireos, bluebirds, and several others. Usually several hawks. We might see some odd species migrating through.

 
Matt Mortimer
President, Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest
www.SpringCreekForest.org
 

This could be a kid's riddle: What looks like a prison and feels like a prison but doesn't have razor wire? The answer is a modern school building. As to the razor wire, not yet but who knows?
 
Modern schools are climate-controlled and enclosed. In such schools, carbon dioxide levels often climb through the day until kids start slowing down in response to the lower oxygen levels. There are simple solutions to avoid this: fresh air exchangers, which also have the effect of reducing airborne illnesses by reducing the concentrations. We once had windows in schools to allow air in and heat out. The simple act of removing the windows in modern designs prevents kids from staring out the window. Sounds like that might be a good thing but tests have shown that a kid staring out the window is his way of rebooting his brain. The bored kid that looks out the window is not the refreshed kid that returns his attention to the classroom. The natural light from the window also affects kids performance.
 
It's pretty amazing what we are learning about learning. It's also surprising how our old practices were often more effective than new ones. Parents and others have a terrific opportunity to hear a great deal more on the connection between how schools are designed and how it affects kids' health and performance. The North Texas chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism will be presenting two seminars at the Addison Civic Center next month that are well worth attending. For CNU-NTX and the sponsors, it's a public service as the seminars are free. Continuing education credits will be available for architect, planners, and CNU members.
 
I hope to see you there.
 

Yesterday I shared an article from the Oakridge Neighborhood Association (District 7) newsletter. It was on the city's budget process. I couldn't resist sharing another on trash!
 
I remember when my son, four years old, asked me, "Where does the trash go?" I happened to be close to the Hinton Landfill so I made a quick right and showed him. Here's your chance for a similar ride.
 

Oakridge News, April 2010 :

We’re talking trash today

By Glenna Brown: Environmental Waste Services
 
Virtually every home in the Oakridge Neighborhood Association participates in an ordinary ritual once a week—a ritual done for the common good of the neighborhood. That ritual? Taking out the trash. Texans generate an astonishing 7.4 lbs. of trash per person, per day! Where does all the trash go? We know it goes away on Tuesday, but where is “away”?
 
Once your trash is picked up by a professional driver in Garland’s Environmental Waste Services (EWS) department, the first stop is the Transfer Station, located at 1426 Commerce St. Once a truck has a full load of garbage, the driver travels to the Transfer Station, weighs the load, dumps it at the Transfer Station, and continues on his route. Each driver has an average of 959 homes on a daily route, collecting three loads per day, or 19.2 tons daily. Collectively, the drivers collect more than 300 tons daily.
 
The trash is then put into larger transport vehicles and hauled to Garland’s landfill, the C.M. Hinton, Jr. Regional Landfill, located at 3175 Elm Grove Rd. in Rowlett. The Landfill is the final resting place for Garland’s household trash.
 
The Hinton Landfill, opened in February, 2002, was designed to have a 50 year life span. It is permitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to take in municipal and commercial solid waste. The Landfill charges a tipping (disposal) fee based on weight of each vehicle, for using the site and to pay site operating costs. Trash is deposited into designated areas called “cells.” Garland’s Landfill was designed for approximately 20 cells, and trash is currently being deposited into Cell 4. Construction has begun on Cell 5, which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2010. Only bring waste from the household where you reside.
 
Approximately 150 to 160 vehicles, containing more than 1,200 tons of garbage, go across the scales each day. The Landfill is open M–F, 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday, 8 am to 3 pm. Garland residents can drop off normal household waste at the Transfer Station or Landfill for free with proof of residency in the form of a valid Texas driver’s license or current utility bill.
 
The Landfill does not accept, among other items, motor driven vehicles, hospital waste, household chemicals, or tires. For a complete list of unacceptable items, please visit the EWS website at www.garlandenvironmentalwaste.com.
 
Environmental Waste Services also operates the Wood Recycling Facility at the Landfill site to take in clean brush, which is ground into mulch. Garland residents are required to keep yard trimmings and tree limbs separate from other bulky waste items so that the brush crew can transport the clean brush to the grinding facility. Approximately 52 tons of brush are brought to the grind site daily. Mulch is available free to Garland residents at
the Landfill site or at the Recycling Center, located at 1426 Commerce St.
 
Trash deposited at the Landfill will stay there a very long time. Because each day’s trash is compacted with heavy equipment and covered with a 6-inch layer of compacted soil, it is deprived of oxygen and moisture and does not decompose quickly. The long–term solution to adequate landfill space lies not in building a bigger landfill but in our ability to manage our resources, reduce waste disposal and benefit the environment. Stay tuned for
the next installment to learn how you can help extend the life of the Hinton Landfill.
 

 
As she indicates, Ms Brown intends a follow-up article in the next newsletter. I'm counting on Mike Rose, ONA President, to alert me when it is available and I'll post it, too.
 

Years ago, I edited our neighborhood newsletter. Other editors and I would exchange newsletters and anything we liked, we'd pass on to our respective readers. It spread the worthwhile news and made better newsletters for the neighborhoods. In that spirit, I've grabbed an article from the Oakridge Neighborhood Association newsletter (District 7, between Jupiter and Shiloh, Beltline and Buckingham) written by District 1 resident and budget director Brian Bradford.
 
[Similarly, if you are a neighborhood newsletter editor looking for information for your neighbors, if it can help, you have my permission to use anything on this blog, but please mention the source, especially if it is something I've re-posted.]
 

Oakridge News, April 2010 :

City of Garland Budget and Research Department

By Brian Bradford
 
While invisible to much of the public, the City’s Budget and Research Department touches every service provided to Garland citizens. The department is responsible for the development and administration of the Annual Operating Budget and the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Passage of the City’s budget is governed by State law, the City Charter, and established professional standards. Ultimately, the budget serves as a means for allocating scarce resources to programs and services that reflect the community’s values and priorities.
 
The internal process of developing the Operating Budget begins in February of each year and culminates with the City Manager’s Proposed Budget being presented to the City Council prior to August 15th. The City Manager must present the Council with a balanced budget. Arriving at this point is a lengthy and arduous process that involves forecasting over 500 different sources of revenue received by the City and reviewing at length each department’s staffing levels, expenditure needs, and performance measures. Often, the focus of the budget process becomes attempting to maintain or enhance current levels of City services while wrestling with fewer available resources. As a result, there are active efforts year-round aimed at identifying and implementing practices that will lead to greater efficiencies and cost savings. The Operating Budget must be adopted by the City Council, after their review and modification, no later than September 20th of each year.
 
Even before the Operating Budget has been approved by the City Council, the Budget and Research staff is at work developing the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP includes planned infrastructure projects for the upcoming five years together with the expected costs and appropriate methods of financing. The City Manager’s Proposed CIP is presented in January of each year, with the City Council completing their review, modification, and adoption in February.
 
While compiling and reviewing voluminous amounts of financial data is required for the development of municipal budgets, key to the process is policy deliberation by the City Council regarding community needs and priorities. Equally important is input from Garland citizens through the public hearing process. A minimum of two public hearings are held for each Operating Budget and CIP before their adoption.
 
In addition to preparing and administering the Operating Budget and CIP, the Budget and Research Department is actively involved in the continuous development and monitoring of local economic indicators and is also active in developing long-term financial forecasts and strategies, special research studies, and assisting in economic development activities.
 
The City’s annual Operating Budget, CIP, and monthly indicator reports can all be found on the City’s web site at www.ci.garland.tx.us by going to “Departments”, “City Administration” and clicking on “Budget”.
 
Some facts you might find interesting about Garland’s budget:
 

Garland is one of the few cities in Texas to have its own Water, Wastewater, Landfill, and Electric Power Utility.

Annual Combined Operating Budget	$569 million
Average Cost Per Day (Combined)	$1.5 million
2010 Capital Improvement Program	$142 million
General Fund Operating Budget	$131 million
City Property Tax Paid (Average Home)	$68 per month
City Property Tax Paid (Avg. w/ Senior Exemption)	$38 per month

 

Distribution of Each Property Tax Dollar (In Cents)

Debt Service - CIP	$0.45
Public Safety	$0.34
Public Works	$0.07
Culture and Recreation	$0.06
General Government	$0.05
Neighborhood Development	$0.03
Total	$1.00

 

 
Newsletter editors with city or neighborhood news are encouraged to send me articles from their newsletter if they think it something of district-wide interest. If I agree, I'm happy to use this media to share.
 

Two years ago I lamented canceling an election because fighting and suing to have an election was a major reason that I was even in office. Tonight the Council is expected to cancel the May elections in Districts 1, 2, and 4. The reason is simple: there is only one candidate for each office. There is no logical reason to hold an election for which there is only one possible outcome. Our fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers dictates frugality.
 
Even when practicality dictates it, there is still a tinge of distaste when we staunch democracy.
 
I heard the comment that it was too bad that there was even one race being contested because it would cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars. That was the disingenuous excuse given by the Gang of Five for trying to cancel the 2006 elections. Nothing in democracy gives more bang for the buck than elections and nothing goes further to protect the interests of the governed.
 
I've also heard in the past some say they were running just so old so-and-so would have an opponent. That's not good either. There should be a fire and reason for seeking office. Wasting tax dollars for a lackluster, pseudo-serious election does injustice to the citizens, too.
 
I take no pleasure canceling an election even when I am a beneficiary. However, I am pleased the constituents of the district are willing to give me an additional two years to represent them and I hope to make the most of the two years accomplishing their business for all our benefit. Not having an opponent has the appearance of citizen confidence. I more often wonder if it's not a sign of no one wanting the job. In either case, thank you.
 
For those political junkies that love elections, there will be one contested race in May in District 5. John Willis is running against challenger David McNeely. To date, I've not heard of any candidate forums except the televised Eastfield College Candidate Forum. Moderating will be District 1 resident, Don Baynham.
 

City of Garland Press Release:

Eastfield College Hosts Garland City Council Candidate Forum

Eastfield College is hosting a forum for candidates running for Garland City Council in the May 8, 2010 municipal election. Don Baynham, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at Eastfield College, will moderate the forum.
 
The forum is scheduled for Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber of Garland City Hall, 200 N Fifth Street. The forum will also be broadcast live on CGTV, the City’s government access cable channel. CGTV is available on Time Warner Cable channel 16, on Verizon FIOS TV channel 44 and is streamed live on the City’s website.
 
Garland citizens are invited to submit questions to be used during the forum. Questions may be submitted by April 2, 2010 online at www.GarlandTx.gov, by email to scook@dcccd.edu, by fax to 972-860-8324, or by mail to:
 
     Sharon Cook
     Director of College Communications & Community Relations
     Eastfield College
     3737 Motley
     Mesquite, TX 75150
     Attn: Garland City Council Forum
 
Please include “Garland City Council Forum” in the subject line of email and fax submissions.
 
Eastfield College personnel will evaluate the validity of the submitted questions and have the option of combining similar questions or eliminating questions that are inappropriate in nature (i.e., personal attacks on individuals or questions that are vulgar in nature).
 

 
UPDATE: As expected, the elections for the uncontested races were canceled.
 

I know, and the community knows, that the continual professionalism and success of our police department is a credit to the city. As with any city as large as ours and with a department with as many employees, situations will arise that are newsworthy, whether the situation is someone exceeding his authority or just a misunderstanding. The news article below, from Thursday's Dallas Morning News front page and online, is such a situation.
 
I have no information beyond the published story—and don't see any reason I should have any extra information—so it would be improper for me to comment or speculate on the story. I trust the integrity of our department and expect a proper and truthful determination to be ultimately reached.
 
I will post updates as they come to my attention.
 

From the Dallas Morning News:

Garland drug officer's cases re-examined after credibility questioned

07:17 AM CDT on Thursday, March 18, 2010
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
teiserer@dallasnews.com
 
An undercover informant opened the motel room door, letting four police officers rush in for the drug bust. They quickly arrested a man who had already spent 10 years in prison for dealing dope and burglary.
 
It was just one of many scores for star Garland narcotics detective Dennis Morrow. But what followed the July raid was unusual: Two of the officers told their boss that Morrow's written report about the raid misrepresented what happened – and last week, in court testimony, they swore that the inaccuracies were part of a pattern.
 

Defense attorney Bill Wirskye reviewed documents with Garland narcotics detective Dennis Morrow in a pretrial hearing in Dallas on Friday. Morrow has defended his police reports, and an internal affairs investigation last fall cleared him. Photo by: Sonya N. Hebert/DMN

Now Dallas County prosecutors say they'll scrub all of Morrow's drug cases, just as they did after the 2001 scandal in which paid Dallas police informants planted fake narcotics on innocent people. Morrow has been a key witness in hundreds of felony drug cases.
 
"It is extremely rare for police officers to admit they have concerns about a fellow officer, so when these two Garland officers said they had credibility issues with Officer Morrow, quite naturally it gave the district attorney's office reason to be concerned as well," said Jamille Bradfield, spokeswoman for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.
 
"We will review all of the cases filed with our office during the time Officer Morrow was assigned to narcotics where he was the arresting officer and take the appropriate action if necessary," she said.
 
Morrow could not be reached for comment. In court testimony Friday and during a Garland internal affairs investigation, he denied fabricating evidence.
 
"I put what I put in the report because that is what happened and that is what I saw when I first entered the room," Morrow wrote to investigators.
 
The Garland internal affairs investigation cleared Morrow last fall, although Garland police also chose not to ask the district attorney's office to press charges against Tramane Hooks, now 29, who was arrested on a drug delivery charge. He was freed.
 
Police commanders also transferred Morrow and almost everyone else in the narcotics unit, including the whistleblowers. Garland police declined to comment.
 
Conflicting reports
 
Friday's testimony came during a pre-trial hearing where defense attorney Bill Wirskye was seeking to get drug charges against a client dismissed in another case where Morrow made the arrest. That unrelated case is not resolved and the hearing continues Thursday.
 
The raid in which Hooks was arrested occurred on July 30 at the Deluxe Inn on Leon Road after two women acting as undercover informants told Morrow that a man was dealing drugs from a room one of them rented.
 
After one of the women opened the door to let officers inside, Hooks, who was sitting on the bed, "dropped to a laying position pretending to be asleep," Morrow wrote in his statement to internal affairs investigators. As Morrow approached, Hooks "moved to his stomach and made an attempt to go towards the ice box."
 

AT A GLANCE: DETECTIVE DENNIS MORROW Praised for drug work: In 18 years on the force, Morrow had established himself as a key figure in Garland's fight against drugs, first as a canine officer and then as a narcotics detective. Commanders praised him for requiring little supervision and having a "special knack for narcotics work." Using the analogy of a football team, former narcotics unit commander Lt. John Orozco, described Morrow as the unit's "quarterback" in an evaluation early last year. Pressure to perform: The push was on last year at the Garland Police Department to meet a goal memorialized in a rhyme coined by police brass: "The Big Dream" of "129 in 2009," where 129 warrants served by the narcotics unit would be a record. The feeling among some unit members was that Morrow had carte blanche, even if it meant going over the head of his lieutenant to higher-ranking commanders, internal records show. What co-workers say: Two officers have questioned Morrow's credibility while under oath in a courtroom. "He's a loose cannon," said T.J. Pilling, a retired longtime Garland narcotics detective. He was among several members of the narcotics unit who complained when the department assigned Morrow to the unit in 2006. "Dennis was a guy who had a long history of stuff that made you turn your head and go, 'Statistically, this just doesn't add up,'" he said.

Morrow also wrote in a similar account in his original police report that Hooks lunged for the refrigerator where the stash was stored. This would have been crucial to proving the drugs were his because the room was in an informant's name.
 
But two officers, Daniel Colasanto and Cliff Wise, say they saw no lunge. According to police documents, after seeing Morrow's report, Colasanto told a supervisor about it and the supervisor informed his superiors.
 
Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates instructed Lt. Gary Gregory, an internal affairs commander, to talk to members of the narcotics unit who had been on the raid. Gregory had previously supervised Morrow for several years, writing glowing evaluations of his work.
 
According to Gregory's subsequent report of those conversations, both Wise and Colasanto told Gregory that Hooks was in bed under the covers when the raid started, and they did not see him reach for the drugs. The fourth officer, MarcMendoza, didn't recall seeing a lunge for the drugs but told Gregory he had no idea what Morrow might have seen.
 
After this was relayed to Bates, he instructed Gregory to open a formal internal affairs investigation and ordered Morrow placed on administrative leave.
 
In Gregory's September final report, obtained by The Dallas Morning News, he discounted Colasanto's story, saying after the investigation was opened, Colasanto tried to downplay his own assumption "that Officer Morrow was trying to add something to the report to bolster the affirmative link to the drugs."
 
Gregory wrote in his report that the whole investigation was a result of a lunch conversation a supervisor was present for during which "Officer Colasanto went into a tirade" and "made statements about Officer Morrow lying on a report."
 
Gregory's internal affairs report draws no conclusion about Wise's account. His report did conclude that the facts supported Morrow, and framed the situation as a personality conflict between Morrow and Colasanto, who he described as a frequent complainer.
 
Bates wrote a memo clearing Morrow. About the same time, the Garland Police Department shook up the narcotics unit, transferring the unit's commander and six detectives, including Morrow and the two whistleblowers, Colasanto and Wise.
 
Credibility challenged
 
But at Friday's hearing in another case where Morrow made the arrest – that of convicted felon Patrick Woodard, who faces drug charges – defense attorney Bill Wirskye called Colasanto and Wise to the stand for their sworn testimony on the Hooks arrest.
 
"The facts as they were portrayed didn't accurately reflect the events," Colasanto, an 18-year veteran of the department, told the court when asked about Morrow's police report. "I was concerned that if it went to court, that it would cause my fellow officers embarrassment, my unit embarrassment and my department embarrassment."
 
Wise, a 21-year-veteran of the department, testified that he would have seen Hooks lunge for the drugs had he done so. He testified that he recalled between five and 10 of Morrow's prior police reports had accuracy issues, and when asked if this caused him to have questions about Morrow's credibility, he answered, "Yes, sir."
 
There's no timetable for when the district attorney's review of Morrow's cases could be finished. Since 2005, at least 287 felony drug cases where Morrow made an arrest have passed through the court system. More than 80 of his cases are pending.
 
In the meantime, if defense attorneys keep calling Colasanto and Wise to the stand to cast doubt on his work, dozens of those could be dismissed, or juries could choose not to convict.
 
"It's disturbing that Officer Morrow lied, but it's even more disturbing that there's every indication that it was covered up by his chain of command in a whitewashed internal affairs investigation," Wirskye said.
 

 
UPDATE: DMN Crime Blog: Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates accuses attorney of seeking to intimidate Officer Dennis Morrow
 

A process has been underway to regionally develop an understanding of where we are headed over the next 40 years and what we should consider to improve that path. Vision North Texas submitted its final report Friday a week ago at the University of Texas at Arlington. While there were many people from all over North Texas there to receive the report, I only saw two from Garland, Anita Russelman from the Planning Dept and myself.
 
Cities are using the data from the report to sculpt their comprehensive plans and to best prepare their communities. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that Garland will continue the same anemic growth and future we've seen for the last several years unless we focus our efforts to better compete in the region and to bring more investment to the city. That's not a simple task and requires a multidisiplined attack. We are making improvements in the right directions but we've yet to see the rollout of those local efforts and, of course, we cannot yet judge the results. I'm optimistic that we will see positive proposals from the staff and I'm cautiously optimistic that a majority of the Council will support those efforts. The danger is that layman elected to office suddenly become experts on subjects for which they had very little previous knowledge. I'm optimistic we will do better. If not, I'll report as I see it. We can't afford to fall behind.
 

From the Dallas Business Journal:

Vision North Texas unveils 2050 plan

Friday, March 5, 2010
Dallas Business Journal - by Bill Hethcock Staff Writer
 
Clearly, North Texas has issues.
 
As the region’s population grows from about 6 million now to 9 million in 2030 — and 12 million in 2050 — there will be more sprawl, more traffic congestion, poorer air and water quality, less-healthy lifestyles and a less-qualified work force, among other woes.
 
Now, urban planners and other business and government leaders have developed a game plan for fighting the negative trends and encouraging positive ones over the next 40 years.
 
The North Texas 2050 plan, scheduled to be unveiled Friday, provides a broad regional approach for issues including transportation, development, education, health, the environment, housing, economic development, energy and lifestyles, said Karen Walz, Vision North Texas project manager. The plan is the result of five years of research and visioning sessions across the 16-county region. The counties are Wise, Denton, Collin, Hunt, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Rockwall, Kaufman, Navarro, Ellis, Johnson, Hood, Somervell and Erath.
 
The plan provides guidelines for businesses, governments, property owners, chambers of commerce, neighborhood associations and other organizations to follow when making decisions, Walz said. Hundreds of entities were involved in crafting the plan — from government groups to businesses — led by the Urban Land Institute.
 
While North Texas business and government leaders have cooperated sporadically on specific projects through the years — such as the creation of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and attracting the Super Bowl to Arlington — the region has never shared an overarching vision, project officials say.
 
“The biggest value is the creation of a shared vision,” Walz said. “We now have something where everybody can say, yes, this is what we want, this is where we want to get to, this is the goal for the sort of community we want North Texas to be.”
 
A key finding of North Texas 2050 is the importance of transportation improvements, said Robert Folzenlogen, director of planning and development for Hillwood and a member of the Vision North Texas Management Committee.
 
“Transportation and mobility is the No. 1 issue for the region to grow in a sustainable manner,” Folzenlogen said, “and all decisions about transportation need to be based on the economic value that they bring to the region.”
 
The issues addressed by Vision North Texas are interconnected and will have far-reaching implications, said economic development professional Linda Burns of Burns Development Group, who was involved in developing the plan.
 
For example, if transportation systems and funding don’t keep up with growth, efforts to lure employers and maintain a highly skilled work force will falter because employees won’t be able to get to work and companies won’t be able to efficiently transport their products, Burns said.
 
“I like the idea of striving for the balance of the economy, the environment and the people,” she said. “I think that’s critical.”
 
Collaborative planning effort
Even more important than the specific recommendations has been the process that produced them, Folzenlogen said.
 
“For the past five years, as this has been going on, regional cooperation at the 16-county level has been unprecedented,” Folzenlogen said. “The process has brought mayors and council people and professionals in the development community together in a way that would never have happened if it weren’t for this effort.”
 
Vision North Texas is a partnership of the Urban Land Institute North Texas District Council, the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the University of Texas at Arlington.
 
Some of the plan’s recommendations include:

• The North Texas Commission should work with economic developers and chambers of commerce to develop a regional branding program. They should find ways to reduce the negative impact of competition for businesses among area communities.
• Cities, towns and counties should adopt stormwater management strategies and tree-preservation ordinances.
• The North Central Texas Council of Governments should develop an urban forest management plan and explore the use of fees to compensate for the impact of development.
• The North Texas Housing Coalition should guide cities, developers, builders and property owners in improving housing availability, variety, value and quality.
• The Regional Transportation Council should develop and adopt a mobility plan, and transportation officials should provide systems with more travel mode options.
• A team should be formed to monitor the region’s environmental carbon footprint.
• The North Texas Education Coalition should improve standards for college and work force readiness, and business and government leaders should follow them. NTEC should also lead efforts to more effectively recruit, retain and reward teachers at all levels and advocate initiatives, such as creation of a Tier One-status university, to make North Texas a global leader in teaching innovation, research and development.
• Hospitals and health care systems should support initiatives to provide North Texans with healthy, affordable foods and promote exercise. Health organizations should develop strategies to support creation of regional trail networks and encourage youths to live healthier lifestyles.

bhethcock@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7125
 

 
While I stongly respect many of the contributors to this report, I've not yet been able to study it in detail. You might like to join me: download a copy here.
 

D Magazine recently featured state Senator John Carona in an article that took a deeper-than-usual look at the man that represents the west-half of District 1. (Senator Bob Duell represents the east half.) Sen Carona has been a good friend to Garland and North Texas. He is a man of strong principle. Read the full article.
 
D Magazine calls John an "old school Republican." We could use a lot more old school Republicans ... and Democrats.
 

 

John Carona still has the bulk and rolling shoulders that he once used to plow through a defensive line for Bryan Adams High School. For a hefty man, he moves quickly, always on the go. But there are times when Carona stands still, and at those times he is like a wall.
 
Within days of the opening of last year’s session of the Texas Senate, where Carona has served for 14 years, Tommy Williams of the Woodlands proposed a suspension of the Senate’s two-thirds rule to take up a highly controversial voter ID bill that the GOP wanted to push. The two-thirds rule protects the minority by requiring broad agreement in setting the Senate’s agenda for the session. The Legislative Reference Library of Texas calls it “an honored tradition” that “fosters civility, a willingness to compromise, and a spirit of bipartisanship” in the Senate. These days, “compromise” and “bipartisanship” are not words that flow naturally from Republican lips. With Democrats hotly opposed to the bill, Williams wanted to make it clear from the start that the Republican majority would get its way without them.
 
The 19 members of the Senate GOP caucus unanimously agreed to suspend the two-thirds rule—almost.
 
The lone holdout was John Carona. For one thing, he argued, newly elected House Speaker Joe Straus wouldn’t consider voter ID because Democratic members had helped elect him. So suspension of the rule in the Senate was nothing more than an empty gesture. Why outrage the other side of the aisle at the beginning of a session for no good reason?
 
...
 
John Carona is the last of the old-school Republicans. He believes in making government work. He believes that every dollar out should be matched by a dollar in. The old Republican maxim, repeated over and over for decades, was that government should be run like a household: spending should match income. The metaphor seems quaint in a world of credit-card debt and subprime mortgages, when households, like their government, came to believe money is free and that home values would always magically rise and that whatever cannot be paid for in cash can be paid for with debt. This something-for-nothing economic fantasy has crashed to the ground. But the political fantasy that undergirded it will take longer to fade.
 
Read the rest at D Magazine online!
 

 
UPDATE: The article above mentions Sen Carona is exploring a run for Dallas mayor, hence the title to this post. On Saturday (Mar 20), I had an opportunity to visit with Sen Carona. I didn't spend much time on the subject, but I asked him about the rumors he might choose to leave the Senate for some other office. He told me that he didn't have any plans to seek another office and that he was focused on the Senate.
 

We received an envelop from the Census Bureau a couple days ago. I haven't opened it yet but I assume it's the much publicized census form for our family. I haven't opened it because I sort of dread answering a bunch of questions that I may not feel are anyone else's business. I don't know yet because I haven't looked at it.
 
I fully realize the importance and Constitutional obligation of being counted. For the benefit of our city and state, we need an accurate count. I definitely plan to do it and, for the most part, without complaint.
 
Then my attention was drawn to a quick blog post today.
 

From Mark Krikorian, the corner, National Review online:

 
Fully one-quarter of the space on this year's form is taken up with questions of race and ethnicity, which are clearly illegitimate and none of the government's business (despite the New York Times' assurances to the contrary on today's editorial page). So until we succeed in building the needed wall of separation between race and state, I have a proposal. Question 9 on the census form asks "What is Person 1's race?" (and so on, for other members of the household). My initial impulse was simply to misidentify my race so as to throw a monkey wrench into the statistics; I had fun doing this on the personal-information form my college required every semester, where I was a Puerto Rican Muslim one semester, and a Samoan Buddhist the next. But lying in this constitutionally mandated process is wrong. Really — don't do it.
 
Instead, we should answer Question 9 by checking the last option — "Some other race" — and writing in "American." It's a truthful answer but at the same time is a way for ordinary citizens to express their rejection of unconstitutional racial classification schemes. In fact, "American" was the plurality ancestry selection for respondents to the 2000 census in four states and several hundred counties.
 
So remember: Question 9 — "Some other race" — "American". Pass it on.
 

 
Interesting. I sure understand the sentiment. I don't personally advocate anyone do it though. I'm writing in "Texan." Pass it on.
 

The annual Keep Garland Beautiful clean-up day is more than a month away but now is the time to start getting a group together to make a real difference in the look and health of our community.
 

City of Garland Press Release:

Annual “Trash-Off” Set for April 10

Garland citizens are invited to join Keep Garland Beautiful for the annual Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 8:30 am - noon.
 
This state-wide event encourages the citizens to join forces and clean up Texas roadsides, neighborhoods, parks and more. Each year during the Trash Off, volunteers help improve local water quality, restore natural beauty, and reduce potential threats to human health and wildlife.
 
Bring your family, friends, co-workers or organization members and join us for this fun and important event. This is a great opportunity for students to earn community service hours.
 
You can choose a location to clean or we’ll help you find a spot. Take a look around your neighborhood, school or local park area. The goal is to keep all of Garland beautiful!
 
Trash-Off headquarters (*Registration, Supplies and Awards Picnic) will be at Granger Recreation Center (Annex bldg) at 1310 W. Avenue F, Garland, Texas 75040. Trash bags, gloves and a limited number of trash “tongs,” will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
 
From 11 a.m. to noon we will celebrate our success with a complimentary picnic lunch, music and a fun awards program.
 
You can register in a number of ways. *Registration must be received by April 1 to receive an event T-Shirt.

• On-line at www.garlandenvironmentalwaste.com
• Email to lreeves@ci.garland.tx.us
• Call Lorrie Reeves at 972-205-3542

Join good people doing great things at this year’s Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off!
 

Fortunately, this "rule" doesn't apply in the areas of the city served by Garland Power & Light.
 
"Oncor Electric Delivery, which was granted a rate increase late last year, will likely seek an additional rate hike late this year or early next year if the economy remains in the doldrums, spokesman Chris Schein said Thursday.
 
"Schein said Oncor, as a result of reduced electricity consumption, isn't earning the rate of return that it is allowed by the Texas Public Utility Commission. 'During slower-growth economic times, utilities need to go in more often for rate reviews,' he said."
 
This information is from an article Friday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Follow the link to read the whole article.
 
There are no similar plans by Garland Power & Light to seek a price increase even though electric consumption is down slightly here too.
 

From the January Dashboard Report

All of north Garland has easy access to the turnpike and most regular users have one of those 1.8 million tolltags. For those that prefer to use the ZipCash option, the NTTA offers one more way to make paying tolls easier:
 

North Texas Tollway Authority Press Release:

NTTA to Partner with ACE Cash Express

Partnership to offer more payment options for ZipCash customers
 
The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) is partnering with ACE Cash Express, a leading Texas-based retailer of financial services, to provide additional locations for NTTA customers to pay their ZipCash invoices and to open and load cash-backed TollTag accounts.
 
"The NTTA wants to offer convenient opportunities for our ZipCash customers and to offer a TollTag option for our cash customers," said Clayton Howe, NTTA assistant executive director of operations. "Adding more payment centers by partnering with ACE will assist the NTTA and its customers during and following the conversion of our system to all-electronic toll collection, especially as our system and operations continue to grow."
 
For a small fee, customers will be able to:

• Sign up for cash-backed TollTag accounts. Dallas/Fort Worth ACE customers will have the opportunity to open new cash-backed TollTag accounts and re-load existing accounts.
• Pay ZipCash statements. Customers who receive ZipCash invoices or ZipCash late invoices can visit any ACE location to pay their bill efficiently and quickly.
• TollTag customers also will be able to add cash to their accounts at any ACE Cash Express location.

Customers will be able to visit 152 ACE Cash Express locations in the Dallas//Fort Worth Metroplex, providing convenient neighborhood payment locations for NTTA cash customers.
 
"ACE Cash Express is pleased to be working directly with the NTTA to establish such a meaningful program," said Victor Faszczuk, vice president of business development for ACE. "ACE has always been viewed as a community-based business, offering customers quality financial services with attention to high customer care. Our objective has always been to add partnerships that make it easier for customers to take care of their financial needs, and this important partnership with NTTA is an example of that direction."
 
ZipCash customers enjoy the same hassle-free roadway experience that TollTag customers do, but pay a 50 percent higher toll rate due to the cost of collection. By getting a TollTag, they can save money on their tolls and enjoy the convenience of not worrying about invoices. They can also get up to three TollTags per account. TollTag customers also can use their TollTag to travel on any toll road in Texas. Customers whose accounts are backed with a credit or debit card can use their TollTags for parking and pass-through privileges at D/FW International Airport and all parking at Dallas Love Field.
 
TollTags are always available online and at Regional TollTag Partner locations.
 
The ACE partnership is expected to fully launch in the second quarter of 2010. For more information about the NTTA, visit www.ntta.org. For more information about ACE Cash Express, visit www.acecashexpress.com.
 

Garland Police Department Press Release:

Click It or Ticket Results

The recent Click It or Ticket campaign that was aimed toward 16- to 20-year-old drivers showed that most Garland teens are buckling-up.
 
Garland Police completed the week-long, stepped-up enforcement Sunday. Police not only stopped drivers not wearing seat belts but some who were buckled-up. Those not buckled-up got a ticket; those who were received a thank you for obeying the law and were given a key chain furnished by the State of Texas.
 

Citation results for Garland 358 – No Seat Belt 14 – No Child Restraints 32 – Ages 16-20 No Seat Belt 12 – Speeding 8 – Ran Red Light 218 – Other Violations 22 – Arrests

 
The Click It or Ticket campaign is a statewide law enforcement effort seeking compliance with the law that everyone riding in a vehicle wear seat belts. Statistics continue to show injuries are less severe, and deaths less likely, when properly belted in during a car crash. The City of Garland continues to have one of the highest compliance rates for wearing seat belts in Texas.

Thank you for BUCKLING-UP

 
Note that the teen drivers had far fewer seat belt violations that the larger population! Who's example should we follow? Way to go Garland Teens!
 

On the good side, reported crimes this month were the lowest since November, 2008. On the bad side, the number of home burglaries was the highest since the current stats started in May, 2007 (after redistricting).
 
I reported last month that there have been a couple burglaries where the resident was home or came home. The number of residential burglaries in January reported here includes the home invasion. There were residential burglaries across the district but most were centered around Northlake Elementary. (I use Northlake only as a geographical point and don't suggest or believe there is any other connection.) There were several burglaries in the Valley Creek area. Everyone needs to be diligent and report suspicious activities to the police but residents in those two neighborhoods should be especially alert. A map of the residential burglaries this month is here.
 
Most of the reported thefts, down once again this month, were for shoplifting. Most thefts were in retail or commercial areas but several were in neighborhoods.
 
If you want to review the areas that have reported incidents over the last month, download the complete report here for address-by-address information that includes your neighborhood. If you are a Garland resident reading this but do not live in District 1, you can get reports for your area here on the Police Department's website.
 

Before I knew about toll tags, I'd see people zooming through the toll gates without stopping. I thought they were running the gates. Glad I learned of the toll tags before any ideas to follow them ever surfaced!
 

North Texas Tollway Authority News Release:

NTTA Milestone: 1.8 million TollTags and Growing

The NTTA has reached yet another milestone by issuing its 1.8 millionth active TollTag.
 
"This milestone means that hundreds of thousands of additional North Texans are saving money as well as improving efficiency, mobility and safety on the roads," said NTTA Assistant Executive Director of Operations Clayton Howe.
 
There are many reasons why motorists should get a TollTag. Customers who use ZipCash—the NTTA's cashless toll collection method—pay 50 percent more than customers who have TollTags. Having a TollTag also eliminates stop-and-go travel and allows for better fuel efficiency. TollTags also can be used on any tollroad in Texas. Customers whose accounts are backed with a credit or debit card can also use their TollTags for parking and pass-through privileges at D/FW International Airport and for all parking at Dallas Love Field. Customers can have up to three TollTags, a “family pack,” on one account at no additional charge. TollTag accounts also can be managed online 24/7 at www.ntta.org where customers can print out receipts for expense reports, update account information and much more.
 
The NTTA currently collects more than 80 percent of its toll revenue electronically and is preparing to convert the remainder of the NTTA System to all-electronic toll collection (all-ETC) by 2011. Once converted, NTTA facilities will no longer accept cash in the toll lanes. After the conversion, tolls must be paid with a TollTag account or through the NTTA’s ZipCash program.
 
Motorists can visit www.ntta.org or call 972-818-6882 (NTTA) to open a new account or add a TollTag to an existing account. They also can sign up at their nearest Regional TollTag Partner or with the NTTA TagWagon at community events.
 

 
Also, don't forget the Teens in the Driver Seat expo with NTTA Saturday at Firewheel Town Center! NTTA has more information here.