I’ll leave you with this thought: Tomorrow is November 9. It’s the very first day of the 2020 presidential election so we all have good reason to get up early and celebrate.
~Mayor Dale Ross adjourning the Nov 8 City Council Meeting
Office Closings Nov 24 -25 for Thanksgiving Holiday
Williamson County offices will be closed on Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Commissioners Court meeting that is usually held on Tuesdays will not be held on November 22. The next Commissioners Court meeting will be Tuesday, November 29, 2016.
Collection Box for Expired Medications
A safe way to dispose of unwanted or expired medications is now available in Georgetown on a year-round basis. A secure medications collection box is located in the lobby of the Public Safety Operations and Training Center at 3500 DB Wood Road. Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Georgetown Police Department is the first police station in Williamson County to offer controlled substance collection via a collection box.
Collecting unwanted drugs keeps them from being poured down a drain, flushed down a toilet, or put in the household trash. Pharmaceuticals put in our wastewater system can affect water quality and aquatic life in our creeks, rivers, and lakes.
Gary Hertel with Texas Disposal Systems explains why medications shouldn’t be put in household trash. “If a customer throws medications in the trash, that trash is put into large 18-wheeler trailers here in Georgetown and hauled to the landfill,” says Hertel. “In that process at the transfer station, if it’s raining or we have more water in the waste, those items can leach out into the drainage system and it winds up in the sewer system.”
Removing unwanted prescriptions from your home also reduces the risk of overdose or misuse by someone in your home. “Williamson County is not immune to the drug abuse problem,” says Rosana Sielaff with LifeSteps Council on Alcohol and Drugs. “Children are accessing drugs from the medicine cabinet in their own home or in the homes of friends or grandparents. We are very happy to see this permanent drop-off box, because we know that we need a place here that the community can bring their unused or expired medication,” says Sielaff.
Last year more than 1,200 pounds of medications in were collected in Georgetown in Drug Take-Back Day events sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
When the collection box is full, it is shipped to a location in Texas where the medications are incinerated, according to Jordan Fengel, solid waste and recycling coordinator for the City of Georgetown. “The medicines are destroyed. So we completely eliminate the environmental hazard and concern.”
The medications drop box is for unwanted or expired prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, or pet medicines. Items not accepted in the collection box include thermometers, needles, syringes, IV fluids, medical devices, or illegal drugs. Medications cannot be accepted from businesses such as nursing homes, doctor’s offices, or other institutions or businesses.
The medications collection box was funded by a solid waste management grant from the Capital Area Council of Governments.
For additional program information, go to the City of Georgetown website at recycle.georgetown.org/medsdropbox.
Statewide Ridesharing On the Way?
November 14 was the first day to file legislation for consideration during the 85th Legislative Session, which begins January 10.
Citing free market and public safety concerns, Senator Charles Schwertner filed Senate Bill 176 to bring fair and consistent regulation to ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
SB 176 would establish fair, predictable, and consistent statewide regulation of transportation networking companies.
“By eliminating the patchwork of inconsistent and anti-competitive regulations that exist in cities across the state, Senate Bill 176 will give the free market a chance to work and guarantee that ridesharing companies in Texas have a clear and consistent regulatory framework under which to operate.”
Senator Schwertner first called for a statewide ridesharing solution in May after the Austin City Council agreed to impose new regulations pushed by local taxi companies to restrict competition from transportation networking companies like Uber and Lyft. Both companies have since withdrawn from the city of Austin. Related efforts to eliminate or otherwise restrict competition from ridesharing companies has led to similar conflicts in cities like Houston, Midland, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi.
Transportation networking companies have also shown great potential to reduce drunk driving in cities where they’ve been allowed to operate. As a result, ridesharing has earned the enthusiastic support of national organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), as well as local law enforcement officials like Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo and Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton.
If passed, SB 176 will see Texas join 34 other states that have already successfully addressed the regulation of ridesharing at the statewide level.
Best of…2016
The City of Georgetown announced its annual “Best of…” list November 3, which highlights the best Georgetown vendors, retailers and service providers in 43 categories. See the complete list at Visit.Georgetown.org.
“So Happy” School Menu App
Georgetown ISD is using the So Happy app to help parents and students see ingredients, nutrition and allergen information. Students will also be able to give instant feedback on menus and entrées.
Users may download from the Apple Store or Google Play. So Happy shows parents and students everything served in the cafeterias and the details of what they are serving during that week.
Fire Dept. Gains
In light of budget increases in the proposed city budget Georgetown City Council voted 7-0 to augment Fire Department staff by three positions and provided full authority to Chief John Sullivan to begin recruitment.
The Department also received additional money from the general fund ($525,000 over projections for sales tax) to accommodate employee overtime.
Brown Santa Needs You
The Brown Santa program collects toys and donations for children in Williamson County who are not part of city or other gift programs. Toy collection continues through November 27. Toy drop locations, include the Sheriff’s office on S Rock Street, Acro-Tex Gymnastics, Austin Telco Federal Credit Union, Gabriel’s Funeral Chapel and Crematorium, Georgetown Jewelry, Schlotzsky’s, Williamson County Central Maintenance, Williamson County Courthouse, Williamson County Inner Loop Annex, and the Williamson County Justice Center. They continue to recruit volunteers to pack gift boxes. The final date is Thursday, Dec 1 from 1-4 pm.
