City of Georgetown residents are encouraged to recycle Christmas trees, boxes, and wrapping paper to reduce material going to the landfill. If you recycle your tree, please remove the tree stand and any garland, ornaments, or lights. Artificial trees cannot be recycled.

Curbside Pick-up: Texas Disposal Systems customers in the city limits of Georgetown can put Christmas trees on the curb for collection on your regular yard trimmings pickup day. Trees seven feet in length or less can be placed at the curb uncut. Longer trees should be cut into sections. No artificial trees.

Collection Day Lookup: For Georgetown city residents, your yard trimmings collection day is on your first recycling day of the month. Look it up at recycle.georgetown.org.

Boxes and Wrapping Paper: Cardboard boxes and wrapping paper are recyclable. If they won’t fit in your recycling cart, you can put wrapping paper and boxes in a larger box and set it next to your recycling cart so it can be recycled. Ribbons and bows are not recyclable. Cellophane wrap and plastic bags are recyclable if they are placed in a yellow bag-the-bag, tied, and placed inside the recycling cart. Note that no extra plastic bags next to your trash cart are permitted without a bag tag. Go to recycle.georgetown.org for a complete list of recyclables.

Christmas Tree Drop-off: From Dec. 26 through Jan. 31 at no charge, Christmas trees will be accepted at the City of Georgetown Collection Station, 250 W.L. Walden Drive. Normal fees apply to other items. Mulch is available, year-round, free-of-charge to City residents.

Collection Station: Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Collection Station is closed Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1. For details, contact Texas Disposal Systems at (512) 930-1715.

The City is also collecting holiday string-lights for recycling at designated drop-off locations. Click here for more information.

The Georgetown City Council confirmed a new vision statement for the city, as well as five goals and nine strategies to support that vision, during its policy workshop yesterday.

“Georgetown: A caring community honoring our past and innovating for the future” was approved as the new vision statement to express the city’s identity and aspirations. The vision statement was developed by the City Council in goal setting meetings Nov. 1-2. Ideas and input for the vision statement came from residents in two community surveys conducted in September and October. The vision statement helps to align the community’s future direction and serves as a building block for updating the City’s comprehensive plan, future branding initiatives, and City Council goal-setting.

In addition to approving the vision statement, the City Council set five goals and nine strategies to advance those goals at their meeting yesterday.

Council goals

The City Council affirmed five broad goals in support of the overall vision for Georgetown. Those goals, which create a framework for all facets of city operations, include the following:

Cultural: Georgetown is a truly diverse, vibrant, innovative, inclusive, and socially dynamic city where everyone has the opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, our economic, political, and social activities.

Employee: Our outstanding City employees work diligently to bring the vision of council to life and deliver exceptional services to our customers while exemplifying our Core Values.

Internal Business Processes: Our policies and procedures are easy to understand and consistently and professionally applied. Our internal processes are effective, efficient, fair, inventive, and transparent and make us a desired destination for residents and businesses.

Customer: Anyone interacting with the City will have such a positive experience that they will tell everyone about it.

Financial: We maintain a fiscal environment conducive to attaining the goals of the City.

Council strategies

In support of broad goals and the overall mission, the City Council also developed nine strategies to advance the vision and goals. The nine strategies represent a refinement of 14 strategies set by the council in 2015, several of which have been fully accomplished. The new list of strategies serve to establish direction for city programs and operations. The strategies include:

1. Become a destination for unique experiences

2. Create a strategy to increase mobility

3. Promote greater diversity in our population and our businesses

4. Create and maintain outstanding aesthetics and a welcoming appearance and spirit

5. Develop an annexation and MUD strategy

6. Monitor, promote, and communicate a long-term water and utilities plan and strategy

7. Expand on our reputation as a City of Innovation

8. Increase our influence with state government

9. Expand our role to develop collaborative strategies with Georgetown ISD, Southwestern University, and other entities

The vision, goals, and strategies approved by the City Council at their meeting last night serve as a starting point for an update to the City’s comprehensive plan, which will begin next year. They also serve as a framework for future projects, programs, budgets, and other initiatives by the City of Georgetown.

The City of Georgetown will break ground on Nov. 28 to start the renovation of two City buildings that will be part of a civic campus for City government offices. The groundbreaking ceremony is at 10:30 a.m. in front of the future City Hall building at 808 Martin Luther King Jr. St.

Known as Downtown West, the new civic campus will include a City Hall and Council Chamber and Municipal Court Building as well as the existing Georgetown Public Library that opened in 2007, the Historic Light and Water Works office building, and a public parking lot on Eighth Street.

The former public library building at 808 Martin Luther King Jr. St. is being renovated to become a new City Hall office building. The 1987 library building was vacated when the new Public Library opened one half-block to the east. City Hall will include offices for City management, City Secretary’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, Economic Development, Finance, Human Resources, and the Mayor. The building renovation will retain most of the limestone exterior walls as well as structural beams and the foundation.

Adjacent to the new City Hall will be the new Council Chambers and Municipal Court. The City office building at 510 W. Ninth St. currently called the Communication and Technology Building will be renovated to become the Council Chambers and Municipal Court. An addition on the east side of the building will include the new City Council Chamber that also serves as a municipal courtroom. The addition also houses a jury room and council meeting room. Offices for Municipal Court and Accounting will be on the first floor in the existing structure. Currently the building houses the Information Technology Department, which will remain on the second floor.

A walkway and green space area will connect the Council Chambers and Municipal Court with City Hall. The one-block section of Ninth Street between the two buildings and adjoining green space can be used for events.

The $13 million project is funded by proceeds from the sale of City buildings, municipal bonds, and fee revenues. Construction should be complete in 12 months. The architect for the project is Lawrence Group and the contractor is Balfour Beatty.

The current Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh St., and City Hall, 113 E. Eighth St., and Council Chambers and Municipal Court, 101 E. Seventh St., will be sold for retail or commercial use. A request for proposals to purchase each building will be released in early-2018.

The new civic complex on Eighth and MLK streets will centralize several offices that are currently in buildings scattered throughout the city. In addition to providing needed facility space, the new civic campus enables easier collaboration for City employees and convenience for residents using City services.

Do you have a business in landscaping, printing, plumbing or electrical services, graphic design, road construction, automotive maintenance, civil engineering, or architectural services? Do you sell vehicles, asphalt, medical supplies, or specialized software?

If so, you may have an opportunity to do business with the City of Georgetown.

Find out more at the City Vendor Meet and Greet on Dec. 5. Sponsored by the City of Georgetown Purchasing Department, the fair is 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, 1 Chamber Way in Georgetown.

At the event there will be an opportunity to meet with employees in the Purchasing Department and find out more about the City’s process to accept bids, proposals, and qualifications. A variety of other City staff will be at the event. Light refreshments will be provided.

If you’d like to attend the fair, please RSVP by Nov. 30 by sending an email to the Purchasing Department at purchasing@georgetown.org. If you have any questions about the event, please contact the Purchasing Department at (512) 930-3647.

Plans for the future development and operations of the Georgetown Municipal Airport will be shared at a public workshop on Nov. 16 as part of the Airport Master Plan update. The meeting will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Communications and Technology Building, 510 W. Ninth St. There will be a brief presentation at 5:45 p.m.

There also is a Planning Advisory Committee meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 16 at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St. The meeting is open to the public to observe proceedings.

The Master Plan update provides a blueprint for future operations and development of the Airport, including a layout plan for future development at the Airport, a list of appropriate land uses, and a 20-year list of capital projects.

The Georgetown Municipal Airport opened in 1945. The last update to the Airport Master Plan was in 2005. Coffman Associates, an aviation consulting firm specializing in airport planning studies, is assisting the City on the current update process.

To see Airport Master Plan update documents and more information go to georgetown.airportstudy.com.