Heavy Trash Changes
Here is a flyer from City of Houston on my earlier post about the changes in Heavy Trash Collection Times
Although we still remain on first Monday of the even months for pick up.
Neighborhood News
WHAT’S GOING ON IN TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, September 08.
Civic budgets and water bills lead the day, but Houston has a crown to celebrate: hometown dancer Regan Hutsell was named the 99th Miss America, the first Texan to win in more than 50 years.
Today’s Highlight
Houston Public Works is renewing collections on overdue water accounts, but the department told reporters that no shutoffs begin today despite earlier statements from Mayor John Whitmire.
The city is instead sending notices to about 15,000 delinquent customers who collectively owe roughly $30 million, warning them of possible future disconnection.
This first group targets accounts at least 90 days past due, owing more than $500, and equipped with Sensus remote-reading meters the city trusts. Customers get a final notice with a specific date before any interruption, and those with an active payment plan or billing dispute are protected. The city paused shutoffs for two years while fixing faulty meters.
Quick Hits
01 Harris County Commissioners Court holds a public hearing today on a proposed combined property-tax rate of 67 cents per $100 of appraised
value, the highest since at least 2006. The 7.6% increase would raise
the median homeowner’s bill about 12% as the county works to bridge a projected shortfall exceeding $180 million, with a final vote set for Sept. 17.
02 The Texas Department of Public Safety will restrict outside access to its
Flock license-plate camera database to agencies that have signed formal agreements with the department. The change follows a review that found roughly 615,000 searches of the state network in June, nearly half of them coming from agencies outside Texas.
03 The Texas Workforce Commission voted to cut about 14,000 child care scholarship seats statewide for 2027, including 1,081 in the Greater Houston region. Boards will pause new enrollments as families exit because a one-time $100 million state investment was absorbed by rising care costs while more than 100,000 children wait for help.
04 Texas barbecue restaurants are pushing brisket prices past what many diners will pay, which a new survey pegs at roughly $40 per pound.
Wholesale costs keep climbing, so Houston joints like Truth Barbeque hold at $37 while Austin’s Franklin Barbecue now charges $42 and Dallas-area Leroy and Lewis reaches $46.
05 At least 596 data centers are now operating or planned across Texas, according to updated research that added 14 facilities since June.
The count matters because ERCOT reports nearly 2,000 projects awaiting
grid interconnection, about 90% of them data centers straining the state’s power and water.
What’s Coming Up
The TS Lone Star State, Texas A&M Maritime Academy’s new 524-foot training ship, docks in Galveston at 10 a.m. today, ending a 21-year wait for a dedicated vessel. The university invites the public to watch the arrival from Seawolf Park, Pier 21 and Big Reef Nature Park.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opens “Going Underground: The Jewels of Bernard Schobinger” on Thursday in the Kinder Building, the Swiss artist’s first U.S. show with 54 works. Schobinger himself appears at a contemporary-jewelry symposium Sept. 26.
HEAVY TRASH NOTICE
🚨 OAK MEADOWS RESIDENTS — ATTENTION PLEASE! 🚨
⚠️ SOLID WASTE PICKUP SCHEDULE HAS CHANGED ⚠️
PLEASE READ — THIS IS IMPORTANT!
After speaking with a 311 representative today, I was advised that the City of Houston’s Heavy Trash Schedule is now being done in EVEN-NUMBERED MONTHS ONLY.
📅 NEXT HEAVY TRASH PICKUP
OCTOBER 5, 2026
This means that Junk Waste and Tree Waste placed at the curb will remain in your yard until October 5th.
🌳 JUNK & TREE WASTE
The good news is that you may now have:
- JUNK WASTE in its own separate pile
- TREE WASTE in a separate pile
Please keep the two types of waste separated.
🚛 TAKING YOUR WASTE TO THE CITY DEPOSITORY?
For residents who prefer to load their waste and take it to the City depository off Old Galveston, there have also been changes regarding trailer sizes.
According to the City of Houston Solid Waste Department, residential drop-off allows:
✅ Pickup trucks
✅ Small trailers up to 10 feet long
🚫 Dump trailers are NOT allowed.
🚫 U-Hauls, box trucks, Sprinter vans, and contractor vehicles are NOT allowed.
📋 REQUIREMENTS
You must have:
- A current Texas ID
- A matching City of Houston utility bill OR lease agreement
For the City’s complete depository information and current requirements, visit:
https://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/depository.html
🙏 MY APOLOGY
I also want to apologize to the residents for having my Tree Waste sign displayed in my yard during the past week.
The information I previously shared was based on what I was told through Councilmember Fred Flickinger’s office.
After speaking directly with 311 today, I have received different information regarding the current Heavy Trash schedule. I wanted to make sure our residents were informed as soon as I learned of this change.
Please share this information with your Oak Meadows neighbors so everyone is aware of the new schedule.
Oak Meadows Civic Club
NON Delivery of US MAIL
NON DELIVERY OF US MAIL
OAK MEADOWS RESIDENTS,
Some of us in Oak Meadows have been experiencing serious problems with mail delivery from the U.S. Post Office on Old Galveston Road.
This past Wednesday, I personally went to the Post Office to speak with the manager, Ms. Buckley, and make my concerns known.
Are you aware that this problem has been going on since January of this year?
If we receive our mail two days a week, we are lucky. If we receive it three times in one week, I feel like I should be jumping up and down!
What concerns me most is that, so far, I appear to be the only one actively complaining, even though I have posted the Post Office’s telephone number several times and encouraged residents to report their own problems.
Today, I am preparing an official complaint because we have access to Informed Delivery, which shows us what pieces of mail are scheduled to be delivered. Yet, in some cases, we are still waiting eight days later for mail that we were notified was coming.
If Informed Delivery shows that our mail was processed and is on its way, but it has not been delivered for more than a week, then we have to ask:
WHERE IS OUR MAIL?
At this point, I have four Oak Meadows neighbors who are willing to sign onto my official complaint letter.
After speaking with Manager Ms. Buckley today, she kindly asked that we give the Post Office two weeks to correct the problem. I am willing to give them that opportunity.
In the meantime, I will have my complaint letter prepared and ready to go. If the situation has not been corrected, I will deliver the complaint personally to the Post Office manager and also send it to our U.S. Senator, our U.S. Congressman, and the appropriate U.S. Postal Service officials.
This is not about being difficult. It is about receiving the mail that belongs to us.
I encourage any Oak Meadows resident who has been experiencing missed, delayed, or inconsistent mail delivery to please speak up and report it. The more residents who document the problem, the stronger our case will be.
Oak Meadows deserves reliable mail delivery.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
Good morning. It’s Monday, August 31.
A soggy stretch leads today’s briefing as a Gulf system takes aim at Southeast Texas midweek. Before the clouds roll in, note that the Houston Zoo offers a free admission day tomorrow, one of only four left this year.
Today’s Highlight
A Gulf disturbance designated Invest 97L threatens Houston with heavy rain and flash flooding Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters put the chance of the system organizing into a short-lived depression or storm before Tuesday landfall at 50%, with the coast from the Upper Texas Coast to southwestern Louisiana in play. The threat holds regardless of whether it earns a name, because tropical moisture will drive rounds of downpours. Local forecasters project 2 to 4 inches east of Interstate 45, with higher totals possible. Rain arrives Monday evening and peaks Tuesday.
Quick Hits
Harris County commissioners face a projected $181 million general-fund deficit for the fiscal year starting October 1, and may adopt a rate that raises the average homeowner’s general-fund bill about 12%. Even the maximum rate available without a referendum would not close the gap, which grew more than 40% since July as health and law-enforcement costs climbed.
House Bill 24 strips neighborhood protest petitions of the power to force a city-council supermajority on contested housing projects, meaning developments can now clear a simple majority. In Austin, a 64-unit income-restricted project advanced under the new rule after 29 nearby owners petitioned against it.
More than 300,000 Houston-area voters sit on Texas’ suspense list, part of 1.2 million statewide whose addresses the state cannot verify. Being listed does not bar voting, though affected residents may need to update registration by October 5 or complete extra forms to cast a November 3 ballot.
Several new Texas laws take effect tomorrow, including a measure requiring solar sellers to register with the state and carry insurance. A right-to-repair law will force some electronics makers to give consumers and independent shops access to parts, tools and manuals.
More than 100 HISD campuses ran below 60% capacity this past school year, district data show, even after the district closed or consolidated 12 schools. Officials have not confirmed another closure round, though enrollment losses could cost the district $50 million to $60 million a year in state funding.
Check out your neighborhood website:
Oak Meadows Civic Club
Mail Delivery
📬 EXCITING NEWS FOR OUR RESIDENTS! 📬
Residents who live on Maroby, Loper, and Axilda Streets — we now have an assigned mail carrier to make our mail deliveries!
Please welcome our new mail carrier, Mr. Brooks, to the neighborhood. We are happy to have someone regularly serving our community!
🐕 Please remember to keep all dogs secured in your yards to help ensure Mr. Brooks can safely make his deliveries.
🥵 With temperatures reaching 110° during his delivery hours, let’s show Mr. Brooks a little Oak Meadows kindness. If you are home, consider leaving a cold bottle of water or some ice water on your porch for him. 💧
Let’s give our new mail carrier a warm Oak Meadows welcome and help make his job a little easier during these extremely hot days!
Welcome Mr. Brooks to Oak Meadows. 👋📬
Thank you,
Oak Meadows Civic Club
Heavy Trash Pick Up for September
Oak Meadows Residents — September Tree Waste Pickup
Did you know that September’s Heavy Trash pickup is for TREE WASTE?
According to Councilmember Flickinger’s office, which contacted the City of Houston Solid Waste Department, Oak Meadows’ Tree Waste will be collected on Tuesday, September 8th, since the first Monday of the month falls on Labor Day.
🌳 Please make sure your tree waste is ready for pickup!
However, we have already noticed several homes placing their tree waste out in the street and into the traffic lane.
🚫 PLEASE DO NOT PLACE TREE WASTE IN THE MOVING LANE OF TRAFFIC.
This creates a safety hazard for drivers and can block the normal flow of traffic. Tree waste should be placed properly at the curb without obstructing the roadway.
We already have many homes with tree waste out, so please take a moment to make sure your pile is safely and properly placed before pickup day.
Thank you, Oak Meadows, for helping keep our neighborhood safe and our streets clear!
What’s Coming UP
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Higher Year End Taxes
Harris County’s proposed $3.1B general fund budget could mean higher property taxes
The county’s budget office said spending would increase 12%, with healthcare and law enforcement costs driving the rise.
Harris County commissioners weighed a $3.1 billion general-fund budget that would raise the county property tax rate to its no-referendum maximum, a move one commissioner called the second-largest increase in county history.
Under one scenario, taxes on an average $400,000 homestead would rise about $226, though commissioners took no vote and a tax-rate decision is expected early next month.
Events Coming and Future Jobs
What’s Coming Up
The tall ship Elissa sails home to Galveston on Saturday after a three-month Sail250 voyage tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
A free public welcome runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pier 21, with the 1877 barbeque expected in port around noon; organizers invite visitors to bring homemade signs.
An Elissa evening reception follows Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Pier 22, a ticketed event honoring the volunteers behind the voyage. Tickets cost $25 and include pier admission, on-deck tours of the ship and access to the Ship to Shore exhibit.
Today’s Highlight
Apple opened its new Advanced Manufacturing Center in north Houston on Thursday, with CEO Tim Cook and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attending as Mayor John Whitmire welcomed them.
The 20,000-square-foot facility offers hands-on training in advanced manufacturing for students, supplier employees and businesses.
It anchors an expansion that will double Apple’s local footprint to 500,000 square feet, add U.S. Mac mini production, and grow existing AI-server work. The company frames the site within its $600 billion, four-year U.S. investment, and city leaders expect it to open new paths into technical careers for Houston workers.