I hope your 2020 is off to a great start. On council, we began with a look back at 2019 with the Mayor’s State of the City Address on January 28. Mayor LeMay highlighted several accomplishments from last year, including the passage of the $423.7 million bond program, investment of over $750 million in new development projects throughout the city, and the helpfulness of neighbors who came together after the October 20th tornado. Mayor LeMay presented the first ever Make Your Mark awards to former Mayor Lori Barnett Dodson and Carissa Dutton for their volunteer efforts during the tornado cleanup.

Mayor LeMay also unveiled a Home Improvement Incentive Rebate program through which residents can receive money to fund improvements to the exterior of their home. More details of this program will be rolled out later in 2020. If you would like to view a video of the Mayor’s remarks, please visit: https://www.garlandtx.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1703.

In addition to the Home Improvement Incentive Rebate Program, we approved changes to our Sidewalk Participation program to repair broken sidewalks in neighborhoods. Sidewalk repair is the responsibility of the homeowner who abuts to the sidewalk, but often the cost of repairs are prohibitive even with the current 50/50 cost sharing program between the city and homeowner.
The new program will give homeowners additional reductions of 15% for homeowners with a homestead exemption, 15% for property located in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) area, and 10% for homeowners with a federally qualified disability. Camelot is not in a CDBG area, but the other reductions may significantly reduce the cost of sidewalk repair.

Last month on council, we passed two environmental initiatives to help green the city. The first was an approval of a landfill gas-to-energy project to capture the natural gas produced through the decomposition of garbage and turn it into useable energy. Previously, the gas was flared off to prevent release into the atmosphere, but now it will be an approximately $50,000 per month revenue source for the city.

The second initiative was approval of a technical study to determine the best direction for the future of our recycling program. The market for recyclables has fallen sharply over the past year due to China’s refusal to process recycled materials. The study will help determine how to increase efficiency and the long-term viability of the city’s recycling program.

As always, I welcome your comments, concerns and compliments. Keep watch on the social media sites for when I will hold my next Hedrick Hears listening event. In the meantime, please feel free to reach me at 469.560.6099 or council7@garlandtx.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.