Coming up fast is a holiday you might not have been expecting—America Recycles Day. This initiative will take place on Friday, November 15 as part of the national Keep America Beautiful program.

Arlington has its own recycling programs along with other local events this fall to encourage environmental conscientiousness in our community. Here’s a break-down of what Arlington has done to date, and what will be taking place in coming weeks.

More than 23,000

Arlington residents recycled over 23,000 TONS of materials through the curbside recycling program last year. Nine out of 10 households participated in 2018, with that number expected to rise by the end of 2019.

These items included paper, glass, aluminum, plastic, cardboard and many other materials.

A future of standardization

The regional Know What to Throw campaign is working to raise local awareness in partnership with the City of Arlington. These efforts are moving toward standardized and simplified messaging for curb-side recycling carts. You can expect an insert in your water bill in November that talks about these updates.

This program also aims to phase out plastic bags from curbside recycling. Pizza boxes will also be eliminated. These two items have contributed to contamination in Arlington neighborhoods, which is why they’re being discontinued in the program.

12 tips for curbside recycling in Arlington

You’ve heard a million times to leave your curbside carts at least three feet away from mailboxes, vehicles and trees. In honor of America Recycles Day, here are some additional tips to get the most out of curbside recycling in Arlington:

1. Flatten any cardboard boxes
2. Ditch the plastic grocery bags altogether (since they won’t be accepted in your carts soon) and upgrade to reusable bags
3. Start breaking down pizza boxes to dispose of them elsewhere, as they’ll be discontinued from the recycling program next month
4. Don’t ever throw non-recyclables (batteries, Styrofoam, chip bags, etc.) into your cart, as they can leave contamination
5. Keep lids on any plastic bottles (this speeds up sorting at the recycling facility)
6. Remember: no Christmas lights, tinsel or wreaths can be placed in the recycling carts
7. Do not leave organic matter like leaves or limbs in the carts
8. No household hazardous waste (this must go to the Environmental Collection Center at 6400 Bridge St. in Fort Worth)
9. Pharmaceuticals and containers for pharmaceuticals must be taken to the bi-annual Drug Takeback (or to your local Walgreens drop-off any day of the year)
10. Mark your calendars for Saturday, Nov. 16 from 8am to 12pm for the annual Computer Roundup at the UTA parking lot (off Cooper Street and Doug Russel Rd.)
11. Use the City of Arlington’s Leaf Recycling Program for any leaves you rake this fall (starting Nov. 21 and running through Feb. 21, 2020)
12. Think about attending one of the two free monthly backyard compost classes to recycle those leaves and organics at home

For any questions or if you want more information about any of the above, contact the city recycling program at [email protected] or call the Action Center (817-459-6777).

Arlington residents might remember a handful of projects and renovations that went up last year at popular local sites. For example, La Frontera’s playground got an expansion; stone edging was placed along Arkansas Lane and Perkins Place; and improvements were made to Tuscany Lake’s entryway.

All of these projects were funded and thanks to the City of Arlington’s Neighborhood Matching Grant Program. And now, in 2019, the program is back!

This year the City of Arlington—through the Neighborhood Matching Grant Program—is offering $150,000 for neighborhood improvement projects, overall to promote the general betterment of Arlington’s much-used public spaces.

Applications are already open, and the application process will close on November 1^st. Submitted projects must serve a public purpose, be submitted by the neighbors themselves, and have a detailed timeline for the project.

All projects, of course, must also meet city codes, and each selected neighborhood must match 20% of the grant. Applications can be for up to $25,000, and projects can include beautification, landscaping, public art, sidewalks, entrance signs, and many other public, community based improvements.

There will be five information sessions located throughout the city:

• 6:30 PM Tuesday, September 17, 2019 – Northeast Branch Library
• 10:30 AM Saturday, September 28, 2019 – Southeast Library Branch
• 9:30 AM Saturday, October 5, 2019 – George W. Hawkes Library
• 6:30 PM Wednesday, October 9, 2019 – West Police Station
• 6:30 PM Monday, October 14, 2019 – East Police Station

In order for projects to be considered, a team leader must attend one of these meetings.

Projects are expected to be approved by January of 2020. Get involved along with your community by putting together projects ideas that’ll improve your neighborhood and benefit everybody! Any questions about the Neighborhood Matching Grant Project can be sent to [email protected].

Buying a home is always a big decision—one that’s both nerve-racking and financially demanding. Luckily for home buyers in the City of Arlington, there will now be access to the Mortgage Credit Certificate Program.

Any financial help when making a purchase the size of a home is a big help, and Arlington residents now have this additional support available when looking to buy. The credit does not clash with standard deductions on federal income taxes, either, so the two can be applied together for an even bigger opportunity to save some money.

The program offers a non-refundable tax credit annually with a value based on the lesser between $2,000 or 30% of the yearly interest on the mortgage for families buying homes in Arlington. Participating families must have a maximum household income of $85,029 for households of two or fewer, and $97,794 for larger families looking to buy homes in an area that isn’t targeted.

For houses that are in targeted areas, the same income maximums are $91,200 and $106,400.

Applicable houses cannot be priced higher than $356,046 in non-targeted areas and cannot be priced higher than $435,167 in targeted areas.

Home buyers interested in receiving the credit must sign up for the program during the mortgage application process. The program in Arlington will limit participation to a set time period, and funds will be available on a first-come, first served basis.

Check to see if you and your family can sign up for the MCC Program and apply for the credit, and read more about the Arlington program in general by checking the Homeowner Assistance link on the Arlington website at www.ArlingtonTX.gov/housing.

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The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is a policy by the United States Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department aimed at helping low-income families afford safe and sanitary housing. This housing can include apartments and townhouses as well as single-family homes, and is not limited to specific housing projects. Any owner that agrees to rent under the program receives subsidies directly from the Public Housing Agencies (PHAs), and the participating family will then pay the difference to the owner.

Arlington residents interested in participating in the HCV Program should set aside some time between August 22^nd and August 28^th, because the Housing Authority of the City of Arlington will only be accepting applications during this enrollment period.

The Arlington enrollment period will begin at 9 AM on Thursday, August 22^nd and end at 9 AM on Wednesday, August 28^th. The Housing Authority will also only be accepting applications online. Applications can be found at www.arlingtonhousing.us.

Residents without regular access to a computer or to an internet connection may go to any Arlington Public Library branch and use the library’s public computers to complete the application. Computers will also be available at the Housing Authority office on 501 W. Sanford, Suite 20, Arlington, TX during the enrollment period.

The application does require applicants to have an active email account. A free account can be created through the service provider of the applicants’ choice. If you are unable to apply or need help applying due to a physical disability, you may contact the Housing Authority during the enrollment period at 817-276-6722.

In order to make sure the application process is fair to all applicants—especially those without regular computer and internet access—applications received during the enrolment will be placed on a waiting list in random order. Information about placement on the list as well as application status will be available online after the 16^th of September.

Whether you’re looking to apply for the first time or you’ve already applied in the past, make sure to set aside some time during the enrollment period for this process. Applications received during the previous enrollment period will be terminated on the 19^th of August, and applicants must reapply during this coming enrollment period.

Do you have a favorite book? A favorite author? How about a favorite poem?

Chances are that most of us thought of our favorite book or poem right away, or at least one that we really enjoy. Thinking just a little harder, we might even remember how we felt when we were first reading that book—how time seemed to melt away as we escaped into worlds hidden behind ink on a paper, with new personalities and knowledge hidden away between two covers.

Technology (and the heightened access to literature) has come a long way in the past few decades. Today, you can pull up any book you ever need with a few taps. This digital access to books across devices is quicker, easier and more convenient, but not perfect. Just about any devout reader would say that, while reading from a pocket-sized device is technically better in just about every way, there’s a certain magic about ink on a page and the rustling of paper that you can only get from a good old-fashioned book.

Luckily for the residents of Arlington, the City of Arlington is home to multiple branches of the Arlington Public Library, where the page-turning magic never runs out.

If you’ve thought about visiting the library, but haven’t found the time, or even if just now we’ve piqued your interest, make sure to come down to the Arlington Library Open Houses on Saturday, August 24^th, and discover everything the different branches of our public libraries have to offer. There are endless books to check out and fall in love with, of course, but the library offers other services that they’ll be featuring during the open house as well.

For example, public computers are available at every branch for work, research, and to simply surf the web. The different branches also offer an array of events throughout the year, including video game events for everyone to enjoy.

The open house will be celebrating back to school season, too, and will introduce all the different services and resources available for students to use throughout the school year to help with everything from homework to passion projects and everything in between. Each branch will feature activities tailored to their local community—guests are encouraged to visit their closest branch, but exploring different branches is also encouraged.

The open houses will take place from 11 AM to 1 PM in the following branches:

• East Arlington Branch, 1624 New York Ave.
• George W. Hawkes Downtown Library, 100 S. Center St.
• Lake Arlington Branch, 4000 W. Green Oaks Blvd.
• Northeast Branch, 1905 Brown Blvd.
• Southeast Branch, 900 S.E. Green Oaks Blvd.
• Southwest Branch, 3311 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd.
• Woodland West Branch, 2837 W. Park Row Dr.

All of the open houses are completely free—they don’t even require a library registration. Check out your local Arlington library branch and learn about everything they have to offer, and don’t be afraid to get a little lost in the magic!

Learn more about the open house and about the Arlington library branches in general at www.arlingtonlibrary.org.

The residents of Arlington are not only lucky, but pretty proud to live within such a thriving and welcoming public city. From our nationally-commended park system to the electric Arts and Entertainment District and so much more, residents enjoy the public spaces and visitors love getting to know everything the city has to offer. It’ all comes with living in Arlington, TX.

Behind the scenes, all the things the City of Arlington has to offer come from the operational budget decided every fiscal year. And the City just released a video breaking down the budget in a way we’ve summarized for you below. Here’s how it works:

• Out of your tax bill, about $3 from every household goes to fund the public library system. And that includes all seven buildings (even the new downtown branch), each of which offers multiple activities and events for residents of all ages to enjoy. Residents can go to story-time events, movies, book clubs and even gaming activities. That’s a ton of entertainment, activities and books (more than you could possibly read in a year), all for the price of a gallon of milk.
• About $7 from every household go to the award-winning parks department, which includes a staggering 90 beautiful parks, 6 rec centers, and over 4,000 acres of parkland. The nationally recognized park system only costs households a little more than the fruits and veggies for the week.
• Next, add up all those groceries, and for about $40 a month households pay for the police department and police services. For another $20, the fire department and services are included. Both departments are nationally accredited for offering community-oriented programs.
• For $14 per month (about the price of a third of a tank of gas), households pay for streetlights, streets and general maintenance.

All things considered, the sum of attractions and benefits that come with living in Arlington come at a pretty good deal. The City’s projections look to collect some $118.8 million in General Fund Property Tax plus another $68.4 million in General Fund Sales Tax during the fiscal year—an increase in both categories that will go into the proposed $523 million operating budget. In addition to everything already mentioned, the budget breaks down further to include:

• $76,600 for nonfiction library materials for kids K-12
• $150,000 for self-driving and smart vehicles and related programs
• $153,452 for maintenance and renewal of Police Department software
• $161,306 for K9 staffing and fire protection
• $258,647 for future Southeast Rec Center funding
• $851,398 for funding for the firefighter academy
• $1.8 million for the popular Via rideshare pilot program
• $2.8 million for IT support
• $6.4 million for general street maintenance

All of this is possible even with the City’s proposed (and fourth consecutive) tax reduction this coming fiscal year. Rates could drop from about $0.63 per $100 of assessed value down to $0.062 per $100. All the additions and improvements proposed are possible with the tax drop thanks to the ever-climbing property values in the city.

The City of Arlington always tries to implement the best possible system and the best possible changes to benefit all its citizens, but this of course does not mean there isn’t room for more improvements. If there is anything you think should be done differently or anything you think should be changed or added, feel free to participate in one of the two Town Halls that will be held soon.

The first Town Hall will be held on the 29^th of August at 6:30 pm at the Arlington Police South District Service Center, 1030 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd. The second will be on the 5^th of September, also at 6:30 pm at Arlington City Hall, Council Chambers, 101 W. Abram St.