February 2023
CITY NEWSLETTER
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Closures and Delays:
- City Hall: Closed Wednesday, February 1st.
- School Closures: Robinson ISD, Midway ISD, Waco ISD.
- Solid Waste: Waste Management will remain closed through Wednesday, February 1st meaning trucks will not run. The hope is, weather permitting, they can start back up with Tuesday's route on Thursday. The solid waste schedule will be as follows:
- Tuesday's route will be collected Thursday
- Thursday's route will be collected Friday
- Friday's route will be collected Saturday
For continuous updates on:
- City closures follow us on Facebook.
- Latest road conditions visit DriveTexas.org
- Current and forecasted weather conditions click here or follow US National Weather Service For Worth Texas on Facebook.
Reporting non-emergency issues:
- For water and sewer emergencies and police non-emergencies, call (254) 662 - 0525.
- You can also text (254) 632 - 5488.
- Report non-emergency issues via the See Click Fix App. Download the app here.
Roads: Stay home if possible, but if you must go out:
- Allow additional travel time
- Plan alternate routes if necessary
- Slow down
- Don't use cruise control.
- Leave plenty of distance between you and other vehicles.
- Brake and accelerate very slow.
- Take turns slowly.
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The City of Robinson Welcomes Interim Police Chief Danny Smith |
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The City of Robinson welcomes Danny Smith back as Interim Police Chief of the Robinson Police Department. Smith will serve in that capacity until the vacancy is filled.
Smith is a retired Major from the Texas Department of Public Safety, serving 32 years with the agency. Shortly after retiring from DPS in 2003, he became the first person to serve as the director for the McLennan Community College Police Academy after rebuilding the program in 2004. He also served as the Emergency Services Education Center division chair. Smith is a decorated war veteran and has supervised over 460 employees during his time with DPS. In 2019, Smith served as Interim Police Chief for the City of Bellmead for about six months and served as Interim Police Chief for the City of Robinson from August 2020 to January 2021.
“Major Smith came highly recommended and did a great job serving the department the first time around. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position, which will benefit the members of our department, and he seems to be a great fit for our community. We’re excited to welcome him back,” states City Manager Craig Lemin.
“It is an honor to be asked to fill the role of Chief once again. I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to work with the Police Department staff, some I have known since my police academy days”, said Smith. Chief Smith’s first day with the department was Monday, January 16, 2023.
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Meet Deborah Veracruz, Court Administrator |
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Meet Deborah “Debby” Veracruz, the Court Administrator for the City of Robinson. Veracruz began with the city on October 6, 2022, and has been busy getting herself acquainted with her new position.
Veracruz was born and raised in Waco, TX, and is a Reicher Catholic High School graduate. Veracruz has worked for the Records Unit within the Police Department for the City of Waco. While in the Records Unit, she attended McLennan Community College, where she obtained her Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice. After four years with Waco, Veracruz left to work as a 911 Dispatcher for the city of Irving's Police Department. She worked for Irving for four years before returning to the Police Department for the City of Waco, where she worked within their Special Crimes Unit. During her six years with the Unit, she established their sex offender registration program, before leaving to work for Atmos Energy for ten years. While working for Atmos, she received a contract from AAA to work in their corporate office, requiring her to relocate to Coppell, TX. She eventually left AAA to return back to Waco so she could be closer to friends and family, once again working for the City of Waco. Except this time, she would work for their Municipal Court Department as a Deputy Court Clerk. She worked there for six years before taking the position here at Robinson.
Veracruz had gone about as far as she could as the Deputy Court Clerk with Waco, so when she came across the open position at Robinson, she jumped at the opportunity for growth. "It has been a pretty easy transition into my new position here since both cities use similar systems. There were just a few options I noticed weren't being utilized here, so I have been slowly implementing those to create a friendly workflow," says Veracruz. Another short-term goal Veracruz has in the works is obtaining her Court Clerk certification, her long-term goal being to become Court Clerk III certified. "I hope to have this completed within the next two years," affirms Veracruz.
Besides the opportunity for growth, one nice thing about working for Robinson is the small-town feel for Veracruz. "People just seem much nicer, and with my church nearby, it feels like home here," says Veracruz. In her off time, her church keeps her pretty busy, but when she's not spending her free time with her son Matthew, she's spending it with her 8-year-old great-niece Layla, with who she has become very close.
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February is American Heart Month |
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February is American Heart Month. It’s a time to focus on cardiovascular health and motivate yourself to live a healthy lifestyle that prevents heart disease. Heart-healthy living involves knowing your risks and doing what you can to reduce your chances of getting heart disease. Your risk of heart disease can range from genetics to lifestyle habits. |
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Living a heart-healthy life includes:
• Getting regular exercise
• Eating heart-healthy foods
• Getting good-quality sleep
• Quitting smoking
• Managing your stress
Find more information on heart-healthy living here.
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Pet Safety in Cold Weather |
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February typically brings chilly temperatures. Make sure you are keeping your pets warm!
- Keep your home humidified and dry your pet with a towel as soon as they come inside. Remember to get their feet and between their toes. Drying them off will help prevent itchy, flaking skin.
- Let the locks fly! A longer coat will keep your cat or dog warmer. If they have long fur, you can trim it so ice doesn't cling to their coat. A coat or sweater is a great option for dogs with shorter fur.
- Cut down on baths during cold weather (Fido will thank you). Bathing too often removes oils and increases the chance of dry, flaky skin. If they need a bath, use a moisturizing shampoo.
- Food = Love. Feed your pet a little more during the colder months. More food provides them with more calories and can help them stay warmer.
- Your cat or dog should have a warm place to sleep off the floor and away from windows.
- If it's too cold for you, it's probably too cold for your pets! Keep your animals inside when it is frigid out.
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Random Acts of Kindness Day |
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February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day! This day is spearheaded by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, which believe "that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught. " Below is a Random Acts of Kindness Bingo card. Challenge yourself this year to try and get a bingo or, better yet, a blackout!
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***More ideas for Random Acts of Kindness can be found here.
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The City Council will meet in person and virtually for their monthly City Council Meeting on February 7th.
The meeting agenda and packet can be found online here. Para la agenda en español, visite este sitio web, aqui.
Individuals have the option to participate in the meeting in person or virtually, either by telephone or video through GoToMeeting. The City has set up a section on our website to provide instructions on how to both view and submit a public comment for the meeting and navigate the virtual event. The access code and toll-free number will be provided in the agenda.
Public comment will only be allowed via telephone or video conference via GoToMeeting if choosing to attend remotely. All speakers must register to speak at least two hours in advance of the meeting. All public comments will occur at the beginning of the meeting under the public comment item. Speakers must join the meeting at least 15 minutes prior to it starting in order to speak. Written comments may also be submitted two hours in advance of the meeting. To register to speak or to submit written comments, please email the City Secretary, Misty Cryer.
Live Streaming of Meetings
Council meetings are now being live streamed to the city's YouTube account, the link to the streaming will also be shared on the city's Facebook page. All live streaming is for viewing purposes only, viewers wanting to participate virtually will have to do so via GoToMeeting. Meetings can be viewed live on YouTube, but meeting recordings will only be available on YouTube.
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Recycling is picked up every other week on your designated collection day. |
Bulk/Brush Day is February 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 5158 South 12th Street, Robinson, TX. City staff will NOT be available to help place bulk items in the containers so make sure to bring enough help to get items in the 40-yard roll-off.
Reminder: customers have the option to set bulk/brush items at their curb to be collected weekly, during their normal collection day. For hazardous materials, customers may use the At Your Door Special Hazardous Waste Collection offered monthly with their Waste Management services.
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City offices will be closed on Monday, February 20th, in observance of Presidents Day. Solid waste will run as normal. |
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Be sure to follow us on your favorite social channels to stay plugged into what is going on in the city!
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Are you hosting an event and want to invite the community? Submit your event to our community calendar and we'll put it in the monthly newsletter and on our social pages! Check out the rules and fill out a content submission form here.
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The City of Robinson is hiring! We are looking for individuals to join our culture that values community, service, innovation, professionalism, integrity, leadership, and fiscal responsibility.
Love where you Connect. Grow. Live.
- Maintenance Technician
- City Planner
For more information on the jobs, and to apply, visit our website.
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Child Find Regulations
In compliance with the Child Find regulations, RISD must locate, identify, and evaluate children with suspected disabilities. If your child lives in the Robinson school district boundaries and you suspect that they have a disability, please contact the RISD Office of Special Programs by phone at (254) 662-4621.
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You can always reach us by phone during business hours by calling (254) 662-1415.
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