June 2022
CITY NEWSLETTER
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Conserving water is one of the most important issues we face as a community. Did you know that out of all the water on Earth, less than 1% is drinkable? In addition to Texas having some of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, it is also home to millions of people and a variety of businesses, industries, and assorted agriculture, placing an even greater demand on our water supply. Drought and greater risk for wildfires have demonstrated a bigger need in preserving the quality and quantity of water supplies.
The average family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day. What can you do to help conserve water? Check out the tips below and find more here.
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Put a Brick in Your Toilet’s Water Tank: Newer toilets use, on average, 1.6 gallons of water per flush, while older toilets can use up to seven gallons of water per flush. If you don’t have a high-efficiency toilet, try filling your tank with something that will displace some water, such as a brick.
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Showers versus Baths: The average bath uses 35 - 50 gallons of water, while a 10-minute shower uses around 25 gallons. Overall, showers are a more water-efficient way to bathe.
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Turn off the Water: Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving. There’s no need to have water running when you are not using it.
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Use a Dishwasher: It might be hard to believe, but using a dishwasher is more water-efficient than hand washing. Using an Energy-Star dishwasher uses less than four gallons a load, while washing by hand can use up to 27 gallons of water per load. There's no need to rinse off dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Scrape excess food off your plate into the trash and pop those dishes into the machine. When using a dishwasher, be sure it is a full load and use an eco-setting, if available.
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Wash Full Loads of Laundry: When running your washing machine, make sure you fully load each cycle. Running full cycles helps conserve water because the machine will fill to a certain level, and having more clothes reduces the amount of water needed for each cycle.
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Water Wisely: Water your lawn or garden early in the morning or late in the evening, so the water lasts and is not immediately evaporated by the hot sun. Also, avoid watering when it’s raining or windy. And remember, it’s also okay to let your yard go brown during the summer. The grass will come back.
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Washing Your Car: Use a bucket of soapy water to wash your car instead of using a continuously flowing water hose. Use the hose only to rinse the car off.
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Advanced Metering System Launching Soon |
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Governmental and non-governmental organizations and citizens must all work together to protect and conserve water resources. Understanding how the quantity and quality of water supplies are affected by human activities is the first step in protecting and preserving water. Water utilities are continually looking for ways to more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of their customers. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) provides a unique opportunity for water utilities to meet those needs while saving money, improving utility operations, and enhancing conservation opportunities. The City is working on launching an AMI system called You Control Your H20. These digital water meters will provide the City and its customers with accurate near-real-time data on their water usage and alerts to notify us of potential issues such as a leak.
The technology will help customers gain a deeper insight of how and when they use water. It will also provide the city tools to improve services and data that can help detect potential infrastructure issues. Once the AMI system is deployed, customers will have access to an online portal to do such things as monitor water usage and set alerts to notify them of continuous water flow. Customers can find more information on the AMI system and updates such as launch plans, timelines, and schedules, as the information becomes available on our website. |
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The City of Robinson is excited to announce that we have partnered with SeeClickFix to launch a new platform for residents to report quality-of-life issues and city service requests or complaints starting on July 1st.
Through the SeeClickFix mobile app and web tools, Robinson residents will now be able to provide city staff with pictures, specific descriptions, and more — valuable information needed to get the job done efficiently. In addition, the SeeClickFix platform provides city staff with a centralized service request management system to manage issues from creation to resolution — engaging residents throughout the process.
Residents will have the ability to report water leaks right at their fingertips! This real-time data capture will allow the correct utility employee to be notified of the leak as soon as it is reported. This is a much more efficient approach to fixing issues around the city than the current reporting options. The current services require residents to call in or report a concern via the city website. This report then has to funnel through a number of employees before it gets to the correct person. With See-Click-Fix, it cuts the middle man out, allowing for issues to get resolved in a more timely manner. Be on the lookout for our new app starting July 1st!
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Saving Energy During Summer |
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May has already brought sweltering heat, and June will surely bring the same. Trying to keep your house cool and your energy cost down can seem like an impossible task. But there are a few tricks worth trying to keep your home cooler and your electric bill down!
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Window Treatments: Use window treatments to block out the sun. Pay attention to which windows get direct sun during the summer and use window treatments to help block out the sun. This will keep your home cooler.
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Use a Fan: Relying on your HVAC system to keep your home cool can use a lot of energy. Try setting your A/C higher and using fans to help cool your home. Fans circulate the air and can make homes feel cooler.
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Don't Use the Dryer: Dryers can use a lot of energy and add unnecessary heat to your home when in use. Try line drying your laundry instead. As a bonus, line drying can also extend the life of your clothes.
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Use Power Strips: Plug your televisions, computers, and gaming consoles into power strips. This way, you can easily turn off the power strip when these items are not in use. Doing so will save you energy, and you won't have to go through your house unplugging each item.
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Switch to LED bulbs: Replace your incandescent or halogen light bulbs with LED bulbs. Not only will LED bulbs produce less heat, but they are also more energy-efficient.
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City Council Candidate Packets Available |
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Candidate packets are now available for those interested in running for a place on the Robinson City Council. Three councilmember positions and the Mayor’s position are expiring this year. Filing dates are from Monday, July 25 to Monday, August 22, during regular business hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Candidates must file with the City Secretary in person. City council elections will be held with the November 8, 2022 General Election.
Click here for the Candidate Packet
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2021 Water Quality Report |
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Robinson Water Customers, your 2021 Water Quality Report is now available here. Customers can also request a paper report be delivered to their home through the Utilities Department by calling (254) 662-1415 or emailing utilites@robinsnotexas.org.
The Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is a document that provides consumers with information about the quality of drinking water in an easy-to-read format. The CCR summarizes information that your water system already collects to comply with Federal and State (TCEQ) regulations. It includes information about the source(s) of water used (i.e., rivers, lakes, reservoirs, or aquifers), chemical contaminants, bacteriological contaminants, compliance with drinking water rules, educational health information, water system contact information, and public participation opportunities. TCEQ requirements for the CCR can be found in 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 290 Subchapter H: Consumer Confidence Reports.
The TCEQ requires every community public water system (PWS) to generate and make available a CCR to their customers by July 1 of every year, 30 TAC 290.271(a), which includes information from the previous calendar year.
Clientes de Robinson Water, su Informe de Calidad del Agua 2021 ya está disponible y se puede encontrar en línea en https://bit.ly/2021CORWaterQualityReport. Los clientes también pueden solicitar que se entregue un informe en papel a su hogar a través del Departamento de Servicios Públicos llamando al (254) 662-1415 o enviando un correo electrónico a utilites@robinsnotexas.org.
El Informe de Confianza del Consumidor (CCR) es un documento que proporciona a los consumidores información sobre la calidad del agua potable en un formato fácil de leer. El CCR resume la información que su sistema de agua ya recopila para cumplir con las regulaciones federales y estatales (TCEQ). Incluye información sobre la(s) fuente(s) de agua utilizada (es decir, ríos, lagos, embalses o acuíferos), contaminantes químicos, contaminantes bacteriológicos, cumplimiento de las normas de agua potable, información educativa sobre salud, información de contacto del sistema de agua y oportunidades de participación pública. Los requisitos de TCEQ para el CCR se pueden encontrar en 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 290 Subchapter H: Consumer Confidence Reports.
El TCEQ requiere que cada sistema público de agua de la comunidad (PWS) genere y ponga a disposición de sus clientes un CCR antes del 1 de julio de cada año, 30 TAC 290.271 (a), que incluye información del año calendario anterior.
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The City Council will meet in person and virtually for their monthly City Council Meeting.
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.
An audio recording of the virtual meeting will be made available to the public in accordance with the Open Meetings Act upon.
Live Streaming of Meetings
Council meetings are now being live streamed on the city's Facebook and YouTube accounts. 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 via Facebook and 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 June 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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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.
- Building Official
- Utility Billing Clerk
- Maintenance Technician I
- Utility Operator
For more information on the jobs, and to apply, visit our website.
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Summer is here! Are you having an event and wanting to invite the community? Need help getting the word out? Let us help! Submit your event to our community calendar, and we'll put it in the monthly newsletter! Check out the rules and fill out a content submission form here.
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Waco-McLennan County Mobile Library
The Waco-McLennan County Mobile Library will be offering Kids Books, Teen Books, Adult Books, Audiobooks & more at Peplow Park every third Tuesday! Be sure to give them a visit on June 21st between 3 and 4:30 p.m.
You will be able to use your Library Card to check out a book or audiobook. Don't have a library card? Don't worry! You can bring your I.D. and proof of residency and they'll get you all set up! (For more info about proof of residency documents, check out their website).
The books can be returned to any Waco library location or to the Pop Up Library when they return the next month.
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Robinson ISD Pre-K and Kinder Round-Up
Beginning April 1st, Robinson ISD will offer their annual Pre-K and Kinder Round-Up. This is to determine numbers and help plan for the 2022-2023 school year. Please complete a form for each child enrolling in Robinson ISD for Pre-K or Kinder for the 2022-2023 school year here (Filling out the form will not complete registration, it is only to provide initial information to help Robinson ISD plan). |
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Senior Center
The Robinson Senior Center (300 S. Strauss Drive) is looking for new participants to join them. They meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. to play dominoes. Lunch is available MWF through Meals on Wheels, but it must be ordered two days ahead by calling the Senior Center during hours and on days they are open. Startup programs are also welcome. For more information, contact Nelda Wagner at (254) 235-9559.
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You can always reach us by phone during business hours by calling (254) 662-1415.
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