City of Rockwall

	Happening Now
	Youth Advisory Council Attending the annual Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Summit in Garland recently, the Rockwall teen group learned the importance of having a positive attitude and maintaining a positive image on social media sites. They also scripted and filmed a short Public Service Announcement on the Rockwall Animal Adoption Center’s 90 percent Live Outcome goal and the importance of pet adoption. YAC members offer a youthful perspective to city government officials while learning about municipal government. They include (left to right); Blake Dwyer, Jennifer Stubbs, Michael Dawe, Kai Hassenyager, Caroline McCallum, Doug Yancy, Nicole Yancy, Eric Jones, Brooke-Lynn Baird and Rohena Rajbhandari. YAC liaisons Rockwall council member David White, City Secretary Kristy Ashberry and Rockwall High School Assistant Principal Ray Harton also attended the summit. For more information about Rockwall YAC, contact Ms. Ashberry at 972-771-7700 or email kashberry@rockwall.com. City of Rockwall Biggest Loser Challenge Rockwall Healthy Solutions Weight Loss Treatment Center, owner Pam Benedetto, approached the City of Rockwall about sponsoring a Biggest Loser Contest for City of Rockwall employees. Six out of seventeen interested employees were selected to participate in the City of Rockwall Biggest Loser Challenge based on an application process. Rockwall Healthy Solutions will be providing FREE treatment and will be giving the winner $1,000. In addition, they will also be giving Rockwall Helping Hands $1,000 at the end of the contest. The challenge will be from January 2 - May 2, 2012. During the challenge, Frizz Poe of Eclipse Fitness is providing a free membership to each of the participants and personal trainers Rob & Hector have offered personal training at no cost to the six employees. You may follow the progress of each of these employees on Rockwall Healthy Solutions’ Facebook page. For more information about their program go to www.rockwallhealthysolutions.com or contact them at 972-412-6600. View their Progress... Emergency Management Rockwall, Texas – Rockwall County Emergency Management is currently utilizing a communications service that allows us to send important, valuable safety information directly to residents using the latest technology. more... City News Bond Election Delayed Rockwall City Council members have agreed to postpone the $59.4 million November bond election due to current economic conditions. The slate of capital improvement projects will be revisited in January for a possible May bond election if the economy has improved. The bond program approved by the Capital Improvements Project Committee included improvements to downtown, an athletic complex, park projects and roadway improvements. More City News... City Tests Emergency Warning Sirens The City of Rockwall tests its Outdoor Emergency Warning Sirens on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 2:00 P.M. The system is designed to alert residents that are outdoors to take cover indoors and listen to local news reports for severe weather updates. During the test, all sirens will run simultaneously for up to 90 seconds. However, testing will not be performed if bad weather is approaching or already in the DFW area. For a map of the City’s warning siren system, please visit: http://www.rockwall.com/gis/maps.asp For more information, please contact Joey Boyd, Director of Internal Operations, at 972-772-6408 or at jboyd@rockwall.com. Emergency Alert and Preparedness Program Details Together, the Rockwall County Committee on Aging and the Rockwall Fire Department, are implementing an Emergency Alert and Preparedness Program for people with disabilities and older adults throughout Rockwall County. more...		SH-66 Alignment Meeting Presentation Proposed SH 66 Improvements From SH 205 to FM 1777 more... Stage 4 Water Conservation City Press Release NTMWD Press Release Instructors Wanted The City of Rockwall Parks and Recreation is in search of enthusiastic individuals with special skills they are willing to share! more... Public Meeting Locally Preferred Alignment for SH-66 from SH-205, East, to FM-3549 January 30, 2012 at 6:00 PM Rockwall City Hall A public meeting will be held January 30, 2012, at 6:00 PM regarding the “locally preferred” alignment of SH-66 from SH-205, east to the Rockwall City Limits at FM-3549. The City and the design consultant will present the proposed alignment and answer questions regarding the layout and the remaining project process. Information about the detailed design of the roadway, such as the ultimate grades to which the roadway would be built, is not available at this stage of planning because the project has not been approved for final design. Once the City submits the “locally preferred route” the consultant can complete the preliminary schematic and forward it to TXDOT. The submission of the City’s “locally preferred route” to TXDOT is necessary to secure State funding for the roadway improvement project. There is, however, no schedule available as to when the funding for the project may be available and approved by TXDOT. If you have any questions about the meeting, please contact Chuck Todd, P.E., Rockwall City Engineer at (972) 771-7746. View the Complete Packet... Citizen Fire Academy Rockwall Citizen’s Fire Academy is a great opportunity for persons that reside or work in the City of Rockwall who want to know more about their fire department. application... Water Monitors Water monitors are checking all neighborhoods for violations of the Stage 3 Drought restrictions 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. During Stage 3, residents must adhere to a watering schedule of once every other week and only on Saturdays. Monitor personnel are driving marked city vehicles and will not go to a resident’s door for any reason, knock on the door or ask to come into any residence or business. They are instructed not to have interaction with residents other than to be polite if approached, and they are instructed to stay in the street or on public sidewalks. Code Enforcement Officers could return to leave a door hanger. They, as well, will not go into any residence. Code Officers will always have both a City ID AND a badge. 2011 Comprehensive Plan Update In 2001 the City Council approved Resolution 01-40 adopting the Comprehensive Plan (Hometown 2000 Plan) for the City of Rockwall. The Comprehensive Plan is used as a guide to all future Council action concerning land use and development regulations and expenditures for capital improvements. more... Copy of 2011 Update and other current zoning cases Animal Services Animal cages, especially larger ones, are needed at the City of Rockwall’s Animal Services and Adoption Center. Please bring your unwanted animal cages to the center at 1825 Airport Rd. or, for more information, please call ( 972) 771-7750 Volunteers for the Foster Care Program to temporarily house shelter pets for a period of 5 to 7 days are urgently needed by the City of Rockwall’s Animal Services and Adoption Center, 1600 Airport Rd. If you are interested and can help, please call (972) 771-7750. Citizen Survey Life is still good in the City of Rockwall a recent survey of residents showed - and it’s getting better – but they still want Macy’s, Dillard's, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods Market to locate here. more... Rockwall is #1 for Job Creation in the U.S. ROCKWALL, Texas – August 23, 2011 - Rockwall County has recently been recognized as the #1 county in the country for job creation by CNNMoney magazine, with 98% job growth from 2000-2010. Two counties in Texas made the list. Williamson County, just north of Austin, came in at number three. more... City Council Meeting Check back during the scheduled Council Meeting for live audio of the meeting. Meeting Page... Rockwall Animal Services Your chances of finding your lost pet or finding the owner of a found pet just got much better. The City of Rockwall’s Animal Services Department has a new online tool to connect owners of lost pets with finders and finders with owners – and it’s just a click away! Go to www.rockwall.com/animalservices and click on Lost and Found Pet Services. If you have lost a beloved pet – or – if you have found someone’s beloved pet, post the details on the site. The obvious goal is to help animals be reunited with their owners. You can also post a photo of the pet, which is an even bigger help.