The City of North Richland Hills extends our appreciation and best wishes to Council Member Tim Welch, who announced this week that he is stepping down from his City Council seat so that he can devote more time to his family.

Mr. Welch has served in City Council Place 7 for 18 years, making him one of the most senior members on the Council. Prior to being elected to Council, he served on the Planning & Zoning Commission. As a council member, he represented North Richland Hills on numerous regional, state and national boards and commissions.

“Throughout his tenure, he has always kept the best interests of our community and residents at heart. We appreciate his many years of service and wish him and his wife Donna nothing but the best in the years ahead,” said Mayor Oscar Trevino.

The City Council is expected to discuss filling the vacancy in Council Place 7 at their next meeting, which will be on January 11, 2021.

During a work session this week, the City Council reviewed the construction schedule for the 2020 Street Bond Program that was approved by voters in November. The bond program will allow the city to reconstruct 27 streets over the next 5 to 7 years. The schedule is planned as follows:

This schedule and a map of the bond projects is available on the bond program webpage. Periodic updates will be posted there as well.

The North Richland Hills City Council has established a temporary moratorium on all door-to-door solicitation activities and distribution of handbills to limit in person contact with persons not in the same household and help mitigate the spread of COVID19. This action comes after our region was designated by the state as an area of high hospitalizations from COVID19, which triggered a reduction in occupancy limits for certain area businesses.

The temporary moratorium begins immediately and shall expire at 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2021, unless further action is taken by the City Council. City staff will notify those who currently have solicitor’s permits and are registered handbill distributors with the city of the moratorium.

To report solicitation activity during the moratorium, call the Police Department non-emergency line at 817-281-1000. Please be prepared to provide your address and any personally identifying information of the solicitor, like their name and company name if you have it, description of the person and their general direction of travel.

For the latest statistics and information on COVID19 in NRH, visit www.nrhtx.com/COVID19.

With the exception of public safety services, City Hall and other city offices will be closed December 24 and 25 for Christmas and January 1 for New Year’s Day. There will be no garbage / recycling collection on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Friday collections will be picked up on Saturday instead.

The free COVID-19 testing site in North Richland Hills will also be closed for the holidays on Dec. 24 & 25 and Jan. 1. The site, which is located at 9001 Boulevard 26 in the parking lot of NRH2O Family Water Park, is normally open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless there is inclement weather. Appointments can be scheduled online at https://curative.com/sites/8358.

Americans throw away more trash during the holiday season than any other time of year. The good news is much of it can be recycled. Please keep these recycling tips in mind this holiday season:

The City of NRH and Republic Waste will offer Christmas tree recycling again this year. Live Christmas trees can be placed on the curb for recycling on Jan. 6 and Jan. 9. They can also be dropped off Dec. 26 through Jan. 3 at Green Valley Park, 7701 Smithfield Road, or the Dan Echols Center, 6801 Glenview Drive. Mulch from the recycled trees will be available for residents to pick up at the two drop-off locations Jan. 4 - 17, while supplies last. Please bring your own container and shovel to load the mulch. Visit our Christmas Tree Recycling webpage for more information.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's contest. Follow Keep NRH Beautiful at www.facebook/KeepNRHBeautiful to see photos of all of the winning homes.

The North Richland Hills community is invited to enjoy an array of holiday lighting and scenery along Hawk Avenue and Grand Avenue, including the city's 46-foot-tall Christmas Tree. The Christmas Tree lighting was held virtually earlier this month to comply with health and safety precautions during the pandemic. The holiday lights and scenery make a good backdrop for your family holiday portraits. They will remain on display through Jan. 1.