How to Get Connected in Rowlett.
To get agendas and information about what is going on with the city government go to the city's web page go to the below link and establish an account. You then put your e-mail address in and click the little mail or phone icon next to the information you want. You should get an e-mail verifying what you select. From then on you will receive notification from the city of all the events you checked. For example you can get the agenda's for the City Council, Planning & Zoning Commission, and almost any other board and commission.You can also sign up for emergency notices. Below is the link:
Attend City Council Meetings. These are held the first and third Tuesday of the month. Regular City Council meetings start at 7:30 pm in City Hall. To find the agenda for the council meetings go to Rowlett.com and put your courser over the Government tab across the top of the page. A window will open with several choices. Click on Meeting Agendas and Meetings. Another window will open and you will see subheadings of Agendas and Minutes and below that Packets and Results. If you are just interested in the Agenda for the City Council go down to City Council and to the right and click on View All under Agendas. Pick the date of the next upcoming meeting on a Tuesday. There are often other agendas listed when four or more council members will be at a function but they have to be included. After you click on the date a PDF window will pop up showing the topics to be covered at that meeting along with the starting times.
If you really want in depth information about subjects to be covered go back to the Agendas and Minutes page and go toward the bottom of the window and under Packets click on View All and then pick the date of the meeting in the next screen. It may take some time but a PDF window will come up and you will get to read much more information about the topics. I have seen several packets over 600 pages.
Citizen's Input. At each regular council meeting there is a time when citizens can come before the council and address a subject they are concerned with. By law the council members can not respond to your questions but often there are staff members available that can meet with you outside the chambers.
Watch the Council Meetings on TV. Most council meetings and work sessions are televised live on cable channel 16. I often tape these meetings with my DVR so I can watch them later and fast forward what I am not interested in.
Watch the Council Members on streaming video. On your computer go to the Rowlett.com web page and look on the right side of the screen. Find under Streaming Video, city council meetings and click it. A window will open and a video will play. However this may not be the video you are looking for. When my window opened the Rowlett on the Water, On the Move video was playing. Look above the video and you will see tabs. Click on the City Council tab. You will see many meetings listed. Go to the date you wish to watch and then move your cursor to the right and click PLAY. The video of that meeting should start. Along the right are a list of items. If you are looking for a specific item you can click on the highlighted item number and skip to that part of the video.
Go to city meetings. The city occasionally has meetings with citizens. My favorite is the Town Hall meetings. They always have an agenda they provide such as videos of events but they also allow you to ask questions of the council members and staff. Personally I would like to see them provide more time for questions and answers but there are set agendas the city has to push. I think I saw the State of the City video three times this year by going to different meetings earlier this year.
Contact the Departments Direct. To find details, go to Rowlett.com and place your cursor over Departments. Select the department you want and click it. Assume you have a question about Trash Collection. Click on the Trash Collection. A window will open giving you information about trash collection and a phone number and an e-mail address in case you want to get more information.
Action Center. The Action Center is your one-stop shop for information and assistance. The Action Center provides courteous and efficient customer service by offering citizens a hassle-free method of obtaining information and reporting concerns. To get to the Action Center go to Rowlett.com then look on the left side of the window and find Action Center. Click on it and you will get a window showing how you can call or e-mail the Action Center. There is also a question and answer area where you may find your own answers.
Volunteer. At least once a year (usually in the fall) the city offers you a chance to volunteer for boards and commissions. Again go to Rowlett.com and move your cursor over Government and click on Boards and Commissions. You can click on the board or commission in the open window to get ideas of what they do.
You can also volunteer to help many of the city departments. This time go to Rowlett.com and place the cursor over the word Residents and click on Volunteer Program. You will then find good information about the volunteer program. The city loves volunteers. If you have a skill they can use you.
Write your Council Members: Go to Rowlett.com then Government then put your cursor over City Council. A window will open and show the names of the council members. Click on Contact Us. This window will give the names of all the council members. From here, at the bottom of the page is a link to address all members at one time. Otherwise you can click on the member you want and your e-mail program will open ready for you to write that member.
Discussion Groups. There are several ways you can post your views about the city government on the internet. I have an opinion page on our web page. Send me an e-mail and I would be happy to post your views on Rowlett subjects. Ron Miller has a site at Rowlettramblings.com. He posts his blogs a few times a week and welcomes comments. There is a forum at http://rowlettforum.suddenlaunch3.com/ where you have to register but you can then post your views or respond to other's views.