• Streets and Drainage
• Parks
• Water Storage and Distribution
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment
• Fleet Maintenance
• Building Maintenance
• Animal Control
• Senior Citizen
• Aquatics Park

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who do I call if a Stop sign or Street Name sign is down or missing?
A. Public Works Service Center 361-758-3111

Q. Who do I call if tree limbs are growing into the street?
A. Public Works Service Center 361-758-3111

Q. Who do I call if view of traffic (or stop sign) is blocked by something on the right of way (e.g. tree limbs, high brush)
A. Public Works Service Center 361-758-3111

Q. If I need a driveway put in who furnishes the material (culvert)?
A. Call the Public Works Service Center 361-758-3111 and the City will come out and check to see what size culvert (pipe) and type is needed. The customer buys the culvert and then calls the City back and the City will schedule a time to come out and place the culvert in the ditch and cover it with dirt. Any additional material needed (limestone or asphalt) will be purchased by the customer.

Q. Who mows the alleys?
A. All citizens are responsible for the upkeep of half of their alley.

Q. Can I reserve the Community Park Pavilion or any other City Park and how can I do that?
A. Please visit the Parks Department page for those answers.

Q. If my blue poly cart toter gets damaged (broken wheel etc.) or stolen who do I call to get it replaced?
A. Public Works Service Center 361-758-3111

Q. Can I put extra items (example-bags of leaves, boxes) on the side of my toter to be picked up with my garbage?
A. You may place any residential household materials in the cart for trash collection with the exception of the following: hot ashes, flammable or hazardous materials (such as oil, gas, paint, or asbestos), dead animals, or materials subject to criminal prosecution. You may also place bulk items, with the exception of tires, in your Big Blue Cart along with your trash.

Q. Who is our garbage provider?
A. Allied Waste (BFI) their number 1-800-640-2014

Q. How often do they pick up the brush?
A. Once a week for residential customers only

Q. If I have a mattress that I need to get rid of, where do I put it?
A. You may put it out front with bulky items or with your brush

Q. What do I do with my bags of leaves?
A. Put them inside of toter

Q. Is there water available to my property?
A. We will need to have the address, lot, and block number

Q. Why should I know what my monthly average water consumption is on my bill?
A. Because only you the customer know what you normally use and pay and if your bill is higher than normal or lower than normal you should have the meter re-read so that any discrepancies will be caught before they cost you more.

Q. The alley is covered with high grass how do they read the meter?
A. Unfortunately meter-reader has to deal with this almost every month. Home Owners are responsible for cleaning their half of the alley. This is a safety issue for the homeowner as well.

Q. The meter box is full of dirt how can they read the meter?
A. Meter-reading occurs once a month for each meter account in the city. That means that for the next 30 days there is usually no one at that meter. Because the meter is in the ground there will be a tendency for dirt to get in the box as well as gophers who love vacant space to push their dirt into. Meter-readers do not clean out the entire meter box when they read. They only remove enough dirt to reach the dial.

Q. If there is a leak in the meter box who is responsible?
A. If you are not sure, call the service center right away. We can make the determination and if it is on our side they will make repairs, or they will advise you if it is on the customer’s side. Anything past the meter tail is the responsibility of the customer.

Q. If I have a leak at my house what should I do?
A. If you have a water leak in your house and do not have a house shut off valve please call the service center if its after working hours we have on call personnel that will come out and turn the water off at the meter. Please do not try shutting the water off at the meter without a proper shut off tool as this may damage the shut off and will cause a delay in shutting off the water. It would be a good idea while the water is off to put in a shut off valve at your house in the event of another leak. This could save you water damage to floors or carpets.

Q. If I have a stopped sewer who should I call first?
A. To determine if the stopped sewer is on your line or the city main call the service center first before you call a plumber. We have after hours on call personnel on standby and can determine whose side it’s on.

Q. There is an odor in my house. What is the cause of it?
A. Sewer mains do create odors but they are usually kept out of customers' homes by the use of P-traps and sewer stacks. If these areas in your home are not working properly they can allow sewer gases to come back in to the home. If you smell sewer around your home check to see that the P-traps and sewer stacks are in proper working order first.