This week we re-opened the swimming pool on Thursday for the football players to relax and have fun for a few hours after they finished two-a-days. Good luck to all our athletes this year!
In addition to preparing several roads for pavement, the Street Department has been focused on maintaining the School Route roads in preparation for the first day of school next Wednesday. As a reminder, North 6th Street and North 4th Street will become ONE-WAY streets with NO PARKING as soon as we receive our signs and are able to mark the streets. In preparation for that, we assisted JISD with providing barricades in preparation for changes in their "drop-off" and "pickup" routine.
The Building Inspector completed nine (9) inspections. He also assisted with the re-opening of the swimming pool and continued to monitor high grass and weeds.
The Fire Department responded to nineteen (19) calls. Eleven (11) were in the City and eight (8) calls were in the County. The calls included eleven (11) EMS responses, three (3) motor vehicle accidents, one (1) grass fire, and two (2) public assist calls. They also responded to one (1) call for a motor vehicle accident, but no incident could be located when the units arrived on scene.
The Parks and Recreation Department mowed several City lots, the area around the lake, the airport, and cleaned drainage ditches. They also cleaned the "Welcome to Jacksboro" signs on north and south Main Street. Additionally they trimmed low hanging trees along the school bus routes and tree limbs that were blocking several STOP signs.
Following the budget discussion at the City Council meeting on Monday, we released a survey on the City Website requesting community input on the future of the Twin Lakes Activity Center. We encourage as many people as possible to provide input in order to help the City Council decide what direction we want to head with respect to the future of the facility. We average six (6) to eight (8) members each day that utilize the Activity Center.
During the City Council meeting, the Police Department swore in Lieutenant Alvin Bilby.
We are continuing to finalize the budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. The Council has directed staff to keep the current tax rate, and cut the budget as much as possible to ensure we can continue to provide quality service.
In addition to the regularly scheduled Council Meeting on Monday, we also held a Town Hall meeting Tuesday to provide residents an opportunity to meet with engineers to discuss drainage issues on McCombs Street. Two engineers from the engineering firm of Hazen and Sawyer answered questions regarding alternatives to improve stormwater drainage in that area of town.
The Animal Shelter continues to remain full with thirteen (13) dogs and twenty-one (21) cats. After a previously unsuccessful adoption, we were able to get one of our dogs that has been at the shelter for an extended period of time adopted by a family in Washington State. "Archie" is currently on his way to cooler weather and a new family. Please spread the word that we have multiple dogs and cats that are currently looking for a new home. Within the next few weeks, we will also begin construction of the "Community Dog Park" on the west side of the building.
We have a number of upcoming events, to include Homecoming, the Sesquicentennial Celebration, the annual Fly-In at the Airport, and National Night Out. If you have any questions about dates or times, please let us know.
Our Employee Spotlight of the Week is Crystal Mitchell. Crystal is in charge of Utility Billing (water bills), but she does much more than that. She is also responsible for permits, scheduling building inspections and service calls, and "directing traffic" for the hundreds of phone calls we receive each day. This week in particular Crystal played a huge part in helping to reorganize responsibilities for the Activity Center, the swimming pool, the airport, and our camp grounds. Congratulations to Crystal, and the next time you come in to pay your water bill please tell her "Thanks".
Our next Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 25, 2025 at 5:30 P.M.
Respectfully,
Mike S.
MICHAEL R. SMITH, Lt Col, USAF (ret)
City Manager