CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES SPRING CLEAN UP EVENT

  

The Annual Spring Clean Up Event at the Citizens Collection Station generated a lot of discussion by Brenham City Council members today (Thursday).  Public Works Director Dane Rau said that the event has become so popular in recent years that the Collection Station employees are overwhelmed by the amount of debris brought in and it takes weeks to return the area to normal operations.  The annual three day event is designed to allow city and county residents to dispose of items from their property for free.  Rau said that residents are now stockpiling debris during the year in order to take advantage of the free days.  He stated that last year, city and county residents brought in 582 tons of debris costing the city almost $25,000 in disposal fees.   Rau said that they are looking at limiting the free portion to only the first 500 lbs. or charging half price during the event. Most of the questions raised by council members dealt with the costs involved as the majority of the debris is brought in by county residents.  Rau said that the biggest issue was the disruption of normal operations at the center:

Council members also heard a two reports during their work session.

Washington County Chamber of Commerce President Page Michel presented the yearly report on Tax Phase-In Compliance.   Michel stated that the Compliance Review Committee looked at documents from the 10 Brenham companies that are receiving tax phase-ins by the city.  The said that all 10 met the employment and payroll requirements.  The 10 companies receiving tax phase-ins are:  Advanced Data Storage, Stanpac, Blue Bell Creameries, QuestSpecialty, Valmont Industries, Longwood Industries, MIC Group, Brazos Valley Brewing Company, PPE/GSL and Tempur Sealy.

Jenny Mills updated the council with the quarterly report from the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.  She noted the print and online coverage the county received during the summer and early fall and also said the number of views of their VisitBrenham website are up.