City Headlines

CITY

HEADLINES

National Night Out

This year’s National Night Out was a huge success! National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighborhoods and law enforcement while bringing back a sense of community. It provides an excellent opportunity to get police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

As in the past, area neighborhoods were asked to contact the Schertz Police Department to register their neighborhood parties. This ensured they would get a visit from one of the teams. In keeping with the partnership, other departments were invited to join in on the events, including Schertz Fire Rescue and Schertz EMS. A total of 22 neighborhoods registered their event for a visit from one of our teams. A total of seven teams visited communities throughout the city, from as far north as Fairway Ridge, to the southern end down in Hallie Heights. The teams included law enforcement personnel, City Council, and city staff. National Night Out is the first Tuesday of October; this year, it occurred on October 4. Each registered neighborhood is provided a proclamation read onsite by the visiting Councilmember.

We are already looking forward to National Night Out 2023, so register your neighborhood early. We can’t wait to party with you all again!

Street Sweeping Reminders

The fall season means football, pumpkin spice, sweater weather... and fallen leaves accumulating on City streets. Regular street sweeping is an effective way to remove leaves and litter before the debris clogs storm drains or is washed into waterways by rainfall, polluting our creeks and rivers. Our street sweepers clean about 172 miles of street each month in the City of Schertz. In order to maintain all of the roadways and assist our street sweepers, the City asks that residents do not dump, push, sweep, or blow yard waste—including leaves, tree limbs, or brush—into City streets or right of ways. To remove leaves from the streets, sidewalks, and driveways, residents should blow or sweep leaves into the yard and mulch them or compost them. The street sweeper also needs height clearance to sweep freely throughout the city streets. So that the street sweeper can safely pass through the street and clean near the curbs, please ensure your trees and bushes are properly trimmed as the sweeper cannot pass with lowhanging branches. To view the street sweeping schedule, go to Schertz. com or call Schertz Public Works at (210) 619-1800.

2022-2023 Sewer Averaging

Sewer averaging for the winter months began November 1, 2022, and will continue through March 15, 2023, for cycle billing.

Water usage over this period determines your sewer charge for the next billing year, which begins April 1. The water usage readings will be averaged and the average per thousand-gallon usage per month will be multiplied by $4.94. The final calculation result will be your sewer charge for the next 12 months.

If you get your bill on the 10th day of the month your calculation period will be November 1 to March 1 and if you get your bill on the 25th day your period will be November 15 to March 15. RESIDENTS WITH AN AVERAGE BELOW 12,000 GALLONS That total will be added to the base rate of $15.01 for residents with an average below 12,000 gallons.

RESIDENTS WITH AN AVERAGE GREATER THAN 12,001 GALLONS The first 12,000 gallons will be multiplied by $4.94 and the portion of the average above 12,000 gallons will be multiplied by $11.22 and that total will be added to the base rate of $15.01 for residential use.

For more information, go to Schertz.com or call (210) 619-1100

Gather and grow.

There are plenty of good things to go around at The Crossvine. Enjoy brisk morning walks on the trail, sunny afternoons at the community parks, and cozy evenings in your new home sweet home.

Wind up here.

Learn more at TheCrossvine.com.

CITY

HEADLINES

Inaugural Leadership Development Program Recognized at City Council

The Schertz Emerging Leaders program, a new leadership development initiative for City employees, was created as a comprehensive effort to provide advanced training to budding leaders at all levels within the organization. This program was designed to challenge participants to tap into and grow their leadership potential. Graduates of the inaugural class were honored during a presentation at the October 11 City Council meeting.

The City of Schertz employees, who were selected through an application process, participated in the 8-month program which incorporated leadership concepts related to human behavior, trust, effective communication, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, team dynamics and coaching. In addition to the classroom sessions, the participants were also paired with a mentor from the organization to assist them through the program and provide counsel at regular intervals. “We were really pleased with the outcome of this initial class,” commented City Manager Mark Browne. “The participants that completed this program will be equipped with a stronger skill set, readying themselves for career growth and opportunities that may arise. Additionally, this program will also enable the City to build a more robust succession plan with a proven strategy for passing on leadership roles.”

The second class of the Schertz Emerging Leaders is scheduled to begin in January 2023.

Congratulations to the Inaugural Class: ■ Bryce Burch, Public Works ■ Will Dalrymple, Inspections ■ Eric Haugen, IT ■ Megan Lagunas, Animal Services ■ Chad Lonsberry, Public Works ■ Demetrio Martinez, Public Works ■ Michael Reed, EMS ■ William Sutton, Police ■ Antonio Valle, Public Works

Committee Hosts Second Annual Classic Car Show

The Schertz Historical Preservation Committee held their second annual Historical Preservation Car Show on Saturday, October 15 at Pickrell Park. Over 40 cars entered the car show with 42 participants. Nearly 100 spectators, and 14 craft vendors, along with These Guys and Smoke Ring BBQ, serving as food vendors; thank you all for your participation. There were over 30 trophies handed out during the competition with the top four awards going to:

■ Mayor's choice: 1956 Chevy Belair - Owner Tim Dill from LaVernia, TX ■ Best in Show: The overall show winner: 1971 Chevy CIO, owner

Ricardo Vijil from LaVernia, TX ■ People's Choice: 1986 Buick

Grand National - owner David

Calbillo from Schertz, TX ■ Schertz Historic Preservation

Committee: 1934 Ford Coupe, owner Charles Johns from

Floresville, TX

Schertz Dispatcher Earns Above and Beyond Award

POLICE DISPATCHER, LIZ TELLEZ, RECENTLY RECEIVED NICE’S PSAPS’ (PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINTS) FINEST ABOVE AND BEYOND AWARD FOR HER INVOLVEMENT IN A HUMAN TRAFFICKING CALL.

On February 23, 2022, at around 8:57 p.m., Liz Tellez received a 911 call from a male that only spoke Spanish. Fortunately, Ms. Tellez speaks Spanish, and rather than transfer the call to the language line, which takes up critical time, she chose to speak to the caller in Spanish and continue to assist him directly. The caller explained that a black Cadillac was following him and the men in the car were not letting him exit the vehicle. Ms. Tellez believed this was possibly a kidnapping scenario. Ms. Tellez had already dispatched Schertz officers, but they were unable to make it to the highway before he left our city. Ms. Tellez transferred the caller to New Braunfels dispatch; however, they did not have a Spanish speaker on duty. Ms. Tellez made the decision to stay on the line and translate for New Braunfels, again saving critical time that may have been wasted trying to connect with the language line. Ms. Tellez translated for New Braunfels the entire call while they went through New Braunfels city limits. When the caller got to San Marcos, the call was transferred to their 911 center, and they did have a Spanish speaker on duty that took over the call and Ms. Tellez disconnected. New Braunfels called back to thank Ms. Tellez and to let her know that they were able to catch up with all the vehicles involved, arrested several individuals for human trafficking, and rescued the caller and other people in the vehicles. Lt. Joseph Robles with the New Braunfels Police Department sent a memo over to the department thanking Ms. Tellez and expressed his belief that had she not stepped up to stay on the line and translate rather than just pass it off, they may not have had the successful apprehension of the human trafficker in this case.

The actions of Ms. Tellez during this call highlight her selfless actions to not only translate for the caller but also stay on and assist for New Braunfels. This is one example of how Ms. Tellez continuously operates at a high standard of customer service for our community and represents our department & city in the best way possible.

NICE Public Safety PSAP's Finest Awards recognize dedicated individuals and team standouts in public safety emergency communications. Honorees are recognized for their Lifetime Achievements and for going Above & Beyond. PSAPs’ Finest winners are selected by an independent panel of volunteer judges from the public safety community who evaluate nominees based on their skills, knowledge, professionalism, and dedication to service in their communities.

Congratulations to Liz and we are incredibly thankful for her dedicated service to our community.

CITY

HEADLINES

Register for the Blue Santa Program

The Schertz Police Department is hosting the Blue Santa Program this Christmas to help spread cheer to area families. If you or someone you know would like to apply for this program you can pick up an application at the Schertz Police Department or go to Schertz.com/ bluesanta. The deadline to apply or nominate a family is Nov. 18.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, the Blue Santa Tree will be in SPD lobby with a child’s wish placed on the tree. You can adopt a child starting Nov. 21 and bring unwrapped gifts to the police department by Dec. 5. Contact Officer Anna Kraft at (210) 619-1264 or akraft@schertz.com for more information.

Operation Polar Express

It's that time of year, and the holiday season is upon us. Unfortunately, this season brings out more "porch pirates." The police department is offering Schertz residents an opportunity to help stop your packages from being stolen off your porch. For the third year, we offer Operation Polar Express to help keep the pirates at bay.

Starting November 7 to December 23, if you purchase an item weighing less than 50 pounds, you can choose to send your package to the Schertz Police Department. When you arrive to pick your item up, bring a governmentissued identification card and the package's tracking number. The person's name on the box must match the name on the identification card. By mailing your package to the police department, you will have one less thing to worry about.

There will be certain times you can pick your package up. Those times are as follows: Monday – Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can also pick up your parcel on the following Saturdays: November 19, November 26, December 3, December 10, and December 17. Any packages not retrieved by December 23rd will be returned to the sender. To utilize this program, the address to us is:

{Your Name} Attn: Operation Polar Express 1400 Schertz Parkway, Bldg. 6 Schertz, TX 78154

Holiday Trash & Recycling Pickup Schedule

With the holidays fast approaching, we would like to remind you of this year’s holiday trash and recycling pickup schedule. Trash and recycling collection by Republic Services will not occur on Thanksgiving Day. If your regularly scheduled pickup falls on Thursday or Friday, the collection will run one day behind during the week of Thanksgiving.

REGULAR PICK UP DATE HOLIDAY PICK UP DATE

November 21-23 No change in service

Thursday, November 24 - Thanksgiving Day (Republic Services and City Offices Closed) Friday, November 25 Friday, November 25 (City Offices Closed) Saturday, November 26

Your regular Thursday/ Friday service pick up will resume on the week of November 28. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Utility Billing Office at (210) 619-1100.

SCHERTZ EMS

PASSPORT TO CARE

BECOME A SCHERTZ EMS PASSPORT TO CARE MEMBER AND GET THE CARE YOU DESERVE

Nobody ever plans to have an accident or medical emergency and needs an ambulance. These events are usually accompanied by unplanned and often very expensive medical costs. The City of Schertz EMS has a plan to help you avoid some of these expenses.

JOIN SCHERTZ EMS PASSPORT TO CARE PLAN

Go online to Schertz.com/Passporttocare to view details and disclosures or call (210) 619-1450

Join Today

SCHERTZ EMS PASSPORT TO CARE is an annual EMS Membership program that allows the citizens we serve to pre-plan for emergencies.

If you have insurance that covers ambulance transportation and are transported by Schertz EMS, you will pay nothing out of pocket for that transport with Passport to Care. Without Passport to Care, you are responsible for the difference that insurance does not cover.

If you do not have insurance or your insurance says the transport was not necessary, you will receive an automatic 50% discount off of your ambulance bill with Passport to Care, and with our average transport bill of approximately $1,500, this is a potential over $700 savings. So, for the low price of $50 to $75 per year, price varies based on insurability, dependents, and time of year you join, you can now rest assured that if you or a member of your family has a medical emergency, transportation to the hospital will be potentially taken care of with no cost to you. That's right, no co-pay, no deductible, and no out-ofpocket costs (as long as your insurance deems it medically necessary).

This plan is available to everyone who resides or works in our service area, regardless of your insured status with the lone exception of Medicaid recipients. The State of Texas does not allow Medicaid recipients to participate in an EMS Membership plan because Medicaid does not come with any out-of-pocket expenses deeming the plan unnecessary for Medicaid recipients.

Schertz EMS brings you the latest in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care each and every time you call 911. Serving a multitude of Metrocom cities including Live Oak, Universal City, Selma, Schertz, Cibolo, Garden Ridge, Marion, and Santa Clara as well as Guadalupe County, Comal County Emergency Services District#6, and JBSA-Randolph. We have worked since 1974 to bring you the highest levels of compassionate care while remaining connected to each and every community we serve.