Permitting and requirements for donation boxes led the agenda for Center’s city council meeting Monday.
Approved was a draft establishing definitions and requirements dealing with trash, debris and nuisance issues prompting citizen complaints.
According to the city, donation drop boxes by reputable charitable groups have been maintained for years without incident. But numerous unlabeled boxes for donations recently have created problems, said City Manager Chad Nehring.
“With no indication of charitable organization, contact information and in some cases lack of approval from property owners, several of these containers are not being emptied regularly which has generated overflow of trash and garbage,” said Nehring. He added that enforcement has been difficult to remedy cleanliness of the sites.
Nehring also noted that with no specific enforcement mechanism, general trash nuisance laws must be used that actually apply to the property owner, not the operator of the container.
The draft for Center was fashioned from regulation in other Texas cities experiencing the same problem. The regulations create a permit requirement for locating a donation box to include contact info and general rules while also establishing the responsible party for maintenance and cleanliness and requiring written permission from the property owner.
Budget calendar Also approved was a calendar for the city’s fiscal year 2025 Budget Calendar for directing city staff with dates for mandatory postings, notices and meeting schedules to comply with state law. The calendar will be subject to modification but establishes a framework for the adoption process.
Adopt-A-Street A draft for an Adopt-AStreet Program discussed at a previous meeting was approved. The outline of policy and program to work with groups toward localized clean up and beautification efforts was fashioned from examples used in other cities to outline responsibilities and agreement of the parties involved.
Hotel occupancy tax The council approved Avenu- Hotel Occupancy tax audit and web payment services drafts recommended for consideration. The services are facilitated via Avenu, a firm located through Texas Municipal League (TML) assisting cities with monitoring, auditing and collection of hotel occupancy taxes assessed to hotel night stays.
Unlike sales taxes, remittance is not made solely to the state. Each operator is required to submit separately to the state and city. Frequent changes in offers the opportunity for calculation and reporting errors, some remedied within the last several years. The audit service agreement allows periodic review, comparison to state reports in more detail and with review of actual hotel financials that the city can perform internally. The second contract ifor payment and reporting for hoteliers to use to make remittance by web portal with their assumption of all related payment fees, in lieu of making physical payments at city hall.
Following an executive session for consultation with the city attorney, the council approved in open sessions, the sale of land owned by the city, Property ID #22139.
Items of interest 1) Financial Reports/ February Financial dashboard 2) Board/Committee Minutes/Reports Board/ Committee Appointments 3) Departmental Monthly Reports 4) Staff Report & Information including – a. Chamber Event Calendar for 2024/Grill Fest Thank You, - b. Project Conclusion TDA letter-TCDP project and TDEM letter - c. FEMA - FIRM Map Update; - d. BCEGS Rating Study - email update on submission and response; - e. Airport 1. CIP - Airport Layout Plan, IIJA - Special Funding; CIP - Supplemental for GeoTech Study of Runway. – f. Annual Street EDC Program – g. Water System - 1. Aiken Rehab Project, Water Reuse Project – h. SECO Grant(s) – i. Firefighter Grant – j. ETEX Broadband – k. Recreation Programs – l. Willow Creek Subdivision – m. Business Development/Building Permits