North Richland Hills voters will choose whether or not to amend the City’s Charter during a special election this May.

Last fall, the City Council appointed a Charter Review Task Force of 11 residents, including 3 Council Members. The charge of this task force was to review portions of the City Charter that were identified by city staff as being in conflict with current state and federal laws or otherwise outdated. After a series of meetings, the task force forwarded proposed amendments to the City Council for consideration. During their meeting on Monday, Feb.13, the City Council approved an ordinance to hold a Charter Election on May 6 in conjunction with the election for City Council Places 1, 3, 5 and 7. The proposed amendments will be listed on the ballot as Propositions A through Z. Voters will have the option to vote “for” or “against” each of the 26 propositions. State law does not allow the amendments to be consolidated into fewer propositions. The propositions recommend changes to the following 4 general categories in the Charter: city officials, planning and zoning, civil service and general.

The City Charter is like the constitution of the City; it establishes the city’s general powers, duties and administrative structure of the City. The Charter cannot be changed by the City Council, but only by a majority vote of qualified voters who live within NRH city limits. The North Richland Hills City Charter was last amended in 2001. The current City Charter can be reviewed here: NRH Charter.

 If you would like to learn more about the upcoming Charter Amendment propositions and election, please review the materials and video from the Feb. 13 City Council meeting. A voter information guide will also be made available prior to the election.

City Hall and other non-emergency city offices will be closed on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 20, for employee in-service training. This includes the Library, Animal Adoption & Rescue Center, Senior Center and Municipal Court. The NRH Centre and Iron Horse Golf Course will be open.

Garbage and recycling service will not be impacted by the Presidents Day holiday. Collections will be made on your regularly scheduled day.

Did you know that the City of NRH has a nationally recognized Economic Development Department with a team that is dedicated to facilitating development, business recruitment and business expansion in North Richland Hills? They have access to helpful information and a variety of tools to help get future businesses pointed in the right direction, such as real estate data, city guidelines, community resources and much more.

To reach our NRH Economic Development Department call 817-427-6090 or visit https://www.nrhed.com/. To learn more about WareSpace, visit https://warespace.com/.

Common Ground Community Garden invites you to their Spring Gardening Seminar this Saturday, Feb. 18, starting at 9 a.m. in the Grand Hall at the NRH Centre, 6000 Hawk Ave. Gardening experts will speak on a variety of topics and answer all of your gardening questions. Admission is free. You can find more information on the city's website.

Find a book for a bargain at a Pop-Up Book Sale hosted by the Friends of the NRH Library this Saturday, Feb. 18. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lobby at the Library, located at 9015 Grand Ave. Proceeds from the book sale will go to a fundraiser for a new mural in the children’s area of the Library. Please visit the library’s website for more details.

New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box returns to the North Richland Hills library on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to celebrate the release of Storm Watch, a riveting new adventure in the Joe Pickett series. This is a free event, starting at 1 p.m. and no registration is required. A book signing will immediately follow, with copies of Storm Watch available for purchase onsite from Half Price Books. Please visit library.nrhtx.com/behindthebook for more details.

Grab your bicycle and helmet and join us on Saturday, March 4 on the Fossil Creek Mountain Bike Trails. NRH Parks & Recreation and the Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with information, raffles, food and fun. Located at 6101 Onyx Dr. S., the Fossil Creek Mountain Bike Trails are a great beginner/intermediate experience for riders of all ages. Visit the city's website for more information about the mountain bike trails.