City utility customers soon will notice their bill has a new look. The new format is more visually appealing and includes a summary of the account’s payment and charges activity for the month.
The first bills displaying the new format are scheduled to mail on Friday. With the initial bill under this new format, each customer will receive a special insert that describes the new features and the location of important information on the bill statement.
The new bill format has the following benefits:
Customers who pay by mail should note the coupon moves to the bottom of the statement. The payment coupon is the stub included with payments in order for an account to receive proper credit.
Also, the return coupon portion specifies the amount due depending on whether payment is made before or after the due date. The coupon has a new line that reads “If Paid After (due date inserted), pay:” If the account balance payment is received after the date indicated, the amount due will include the 5 percent late fee charge. Paying the total due by the specified date will avoid this charge.
It will take about one month for all customers to receive a bill that uses the new design. Approximately 230,000 city utility bills are mailed monthly. This bill may include charges and fees for water, wastewater, sanitation, storm water and environmental protection.
In an ongoing effort to beautify the city-owned sites such as parks, libraries, community centers and streets, Community ID: Public Art in Neighborhoods (CID) — an initiative of Fort Worth Public Art (FWPA) — provides an annual opportunity for community groups to nominate sites for public art projects. Each year, two awarded groups guide and participate in the commissioning of a public artwork of neighborhood significance.
The Fort Worth Art Commission (FWAC) developed guidelines for an application and review process. In FY2008, applications were accepted from community groups in Council Districts 3 and 6. In FY 2009, the effort was piloted citywide. As a result, Council Districts 3, 6, 7 and 8 each have CID projects in progress.
Following last year’s announcement of awardees, FWAC considered input from applicants and conducted a formal survey of all participants to ensure an equitable process. FWAC endorsed revisions to the guidelines and review process for FY2010 and held a public hearing prior to adopting them.
In FY2010, FWAC will return to an eligibility rotation schedule of two council districts per year. Applications will be accepted from community groups in Districts 4 and 5. In FY2011, groups in Districts 2 and 9 will be eligible. By targeting two council districts per year, community groups will have a better chance to be awarded a project and FWPA staff will be able to provide more technical assistance to applicants. It will also ensure that each council district has a CID project by the end of FY2011.
Application workshops are slated for late February and early March in Council Districts 4 and 5. To learn more, call 817-298-3027 or visit FWPublicart.org.
This year’s annual Party in Fort Worth takes on epic proportions with its GIANT theme.
The GIANT Party in Fort Worth is at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Tickets are $150 per person and proceeds benefit the city’s Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund, a nonprofit organization that promotes the city of Fort Worth across the nation and worldwide. Guests are asked to dress as their favorite character from the film, “Giant” or in Western attire. The event features dinner, dancing, casino games, auctions and raffles. Order tickets at thepartyinfortworth.org.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, some lucky person will win the Dream in GIANT Color Raffle also benefiting the Promotion and Development Fund. This year’s raffle offers a colorful necklace and enhancer from Bellarri’s Mosaic Collection. The enhancer, valued at $4,500, features 10.79TW multicolor natural gemstones with .35TW round diamonds. Raffle tickets are $50 each, or three for $120.
The deadline to order raffle tickets is Feb. 7; winner need not be present to win. To learn more, contact Linda Fulmer, 817-451-8740.
]]>If your tax return has you stumped, the Fort Worth Library and AARP are ready to lend a hand.
AARP is providing volunteers to help taxpayers with advice and tax preparation. The free service is open to all, with priority given to seniors. Appointments are required and can be made by calling your nearest library location.
Tax help is available at these eight library locations — Central, East Berry, Diamond Hill/Jarvis, East Regional, Summerglen, Northside, Shamblee and Southwest Regional.
]]>The City's Bike Fort Worth plan aims to increase bicycle ridership by making roadways friendlier for those on two wheels. A public hearing about the draft Bike Fort Worth Plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the regular City Council Meeting. The meeting will take place in City Hall's Council Chamber, 1000 Throckmorton St.
Learn more on the Bike Fort Worth page, or call 817-392-2593.
]]>Call 817-392-5742 for more information.
]]>Share your ideas about a new master plan for Riverside Park, 501 Oakhurst Scenic Drive, at a meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at Fort Worth Harvest Church, 620 N. Chandler Drive. Residents can learn about the Riverside Park Master Plan and help determine recreational features that would be most desirable to the community. A Spanish interpreter will be available.
Call 817-392-5742 for more information.
A new fee structure goes into effect Feb. 1 at Fort Worth community centers and the Haws Athletic Center. View the new fees on the Parks and Community Services website.
]]>Area business owners should plan to attend the buyer/vendor forum from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Fort Worth Events Center, 2100 Evans Ave. This free program of the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center is a unique opportunity for business owners to gain access to information on upcoming bid and contracting opportunities as well as goods and services offered by area Fortune 500 corporations.
Hosted by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Tarrant County Asian Chamber of Commerce, the event is sponsored by the City of Fort Worth Housing and Economic Development Department, Tarrant County and BNSF Railway.
For more information, visit the Business Assistance Center website, or call 817-871-6025.
The City of Fort Worth Housing and Economic Development Department is hosting a series of public meetings inviting community input for the City's U.S. Housing and Urban Development entitlement programs.
The programs in the consolidated plan include the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) and HOME Investment Partnership Program.
For additional information, contact Kate Scott-Ward, Housing and Economic Development, at 817-392-7563.
Every 10 years, the U.S. conducts a census to count every person living in the nation. This information influences how federal funds will be distributed for community services such as schools, roads and elderly services. It also determines the representation of each state in the U.S. House of Representatives.
More than $400 billion in federal funds are awarded to states and communities annually based on census data.
April 1, 2010, has been declared Census Day nationwide. Residents will begin receiving their questionnaires in March.
By completing their questionnaires, Fort Worth residents will help ensure a more accurate count so the city can receive its fair share of necessary services and resources.
]]>Due to construction at Drop-Off Station No. 3, 6260 Old Hemphill Road, no electronics can be accepted at the facility temporarily.
The city's two other Drop-Off Stations will continue to accept electronics in addition to other garbage and recycling. Visit the Drop-Off Station page for more information about the facilities.
]]>Posted Jan. 21, 2010
Hitch a ride on The T’s Stock Show Shuttle from two convenient park and ride locations for $1 each way every weekend during the 2010 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
The T will run special shuttle buses to Will Rogers Memorial Center every 30 minutes from park and ride lots at Ridgmar Mall and every 20 minutes from Billy Bob’s north lot at the Stockyards on Saturdays and Sundays during the Stock Show and Rodeo, Jan. 17 - Feb. 8.
Trinity Railway Express (TRE) passengers may use The T’s regular bus service free of charge with their same-day TRE Day Pass to get to the Stock Show Monday through Saturday. It’s a 15-minute ride between the TRE stop at the Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) and the Will Rogers Memorial Center. (There are no Sunday TRE trains.)
For more information, call The T’s Customer Service at 817-215-8600.
]]>“Butterflies in the Garden,” an exhibit of thousands of live butterflies, opens Feb. 27 and runs through April 4 in the conservatory of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
Proceeds from the event support established public education and environmental projects of the Fort Worth Botanical Society and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, which host the event with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Fort Worth Garden Club.
The exhibit will be open daily from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tickets are sold for timed entrance every 30 minutes with the last tickets being sold at 4 p.m. Tickets for timed entrance may be purchased in person at the Garden on exhibit days.
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