June 9, 2025

Jun 09, 2025

In this edition: City Council approves downsized in-town recycling; County Commissioners approve new Hazard Mitigation Plan; Public Hearing on City of Bangs Zoning Ordinance TODAY!; Brown County Democrats stage Defend the Constitution protest; and Indivisible.org promotes No Kings Day next Saturday

Citizen Involvement Keeps In-town Recycling Option Alive—For Now

The motto of this newsletter suggests that sometimes, local policy and funding can be affected by citizen engagement, without resorting to bitter and divisive partisanship.

This simple point was proven at the May 27 Brownwood City Council meeting, when the Council approved a compromise, crafted with concerned citizens after consultation with the relevant city staff, to continue offering in-town recycling on the First and Third Saturday mornings each month. This option saves Brownwood residents an additional six-mile one-way drive to the Recycling Center at the landfill.

The compromise delivers a single recycling trailer to the parking lot under the Austin Ave. overpass, which will be staffed by two volunteers from 8:30 am until 12 noon. The meeting which led to this compromise was reported in the May 13 edition of this newsletter.

At the May 27 Council meeting, Leslie Courington and Cary Perrin each addressed the Council in support of keeping the in-town recycling service, and each acknowledged the interest and responsiveness of the city staff they met with, from the Sanitation and Landfill Depts., as well as the City Manager.

If you use and value the in-town recycling service, as I do, please keep coming, and encourage your friends and neighbors to come as well. The items accepted include all glass jars and bottles, clear and green #1 plastic bottles and containers only (no other plastics), tin cans, aluminum cans (no other aluminum products), corrugated cardboard and fiberboard, newspapers and magazines. All items must be clean and free of food residues, and all lids and caps must be removed. To volunteer to be a recycling attendant, call Leslie Courington, 325-203-6940.

Brown County Finally Has a New Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HMAP)

Cary and I were well aware we were purchasing floodplain property when we moved to Brownwood in 1998, but we felt the hazard firsthand when our place was hit by a flash flood in 2000. We were spared from any major damage then, but have taken a much more active interest in the risks on our land ever since.

Likewise, our local governments are constantly looking for ways to prevent the worst damage and injury from natural and human-caused disasters. And those preventive measures cost money.

According to the Introduction of the new Brown County HMAP, “The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, updated in January 2008, mandates that local governments develop mitigation plans to qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hazard mitigation grants.”

The new HMAP was prepared for the Brown County Office of Emergency Management by the West Central Texas Council of Governments (WCTCOG), a voluntary association organized to promote regional planning and cooperation among local governments across 19 counties.

https://www.wctcog.org/

This is a big document—nearly 200 pages. WCTCOG has done the heavy lifting here, making sure it is compatible and compliant with state standards set by Texas Dept. of Emergency Management (TDEM), as well as FEMA and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) criteria.

I am grateful to Brown County Judge Shane Britton for providing me a hard copy. It is not yet posted online. If you wish to review the new HMAP, contact Judge Shane Britton or Brownwood Fire Chief Eric Hicks.

https://www.browncountytx.gov/page/brown.Emergency

https://www.brownwoodtexas.gov/Directory.aspx?DID=9

“Predict, Prepare, Protect: Safety in Every Step” (HMAP subtitle)

For the record, FEMA calls this document the “Brown County, Texas, Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan,” since it is a county-wide plan that also includes Action Plans for Bangs, Blanket, Brookesmith ISD, Brownwood, and Early. Each jurisdiction must pass a resolution adopting the plan. Brown County Commissioners did so at their June 2 meeting, Brownwood City Council followed on June 5, and the rest will likely pass theirs by the end of June.

Rest assured that I will be poring over this plan in the coming weeks, with particular attention to whether and how the plan addresses increasing risks of wildfire and severe storms and flooding here, due to climate change.

The current climate denialism in the executive branch of the federal government means that it’s now chiefly the job of citizen activists, NGO’s, and the scientific community to press the imperative for community resilience and self-reliance amid increasingly frequent and intense climate-driven emergencies.

City of Bangs (pop. 1,543) Considers Zoning Ordinance at Public Hearing TODAY

The Bangs City Council, acting as Planning and Zoning Commission, will hold a Public Hearing today, Monday June 9, at 5:45 pm, to receive public comments and testimony regarding the proposed adoption of a comprehensive City of Bangs Zoning Ordinance. Find the meeting location and agenda here:

https://www.cityofbangs.org/city-council/meeting/city-council-pz-commission-and-public-hearing

A second Public Hearing by the City Council will follow immediately at the same location at 6 pm. According to a notice published in the Brownwood Bulletin on June 7, “These Public Hearings are open to any interested person. Opinions, objections, and/or comments related to this matter may be expressed in writing or in person at the hearings.”

This ordinance sounds like a big deal for a small town like Bangs. Among other things, it will set the boundaries and regulations for the zoning districts, including “rules and regulations restricting the size, height, and density of buildings and other structures, the size of yards and other open spaces, the density of population and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land.”

A copy of the proposed Zoning Ordinance, and a map showing the area affected, is available for review during regular business hours at Bangs City Hall, 109 S. 1^st St.

Brown County Democrats Show Some Spirit

I joined a small but happy group of about 15 people at Brownwood’s busiest intersection Saturday morning, to show our opposition to presidential attacks on the Constitution and to the failure of the majority-Republican Congress to defend it, and our support for Constitutional rights like free speech and due process, and for common human kindness, compassion, and decency.

Facing the oncoming westbound traffic along Commerce, at the intersection with Main, by a closed CVS store, it seemed to me we were getting more smiles, honks, and thumbs up, than middle fingers, thumbs down, and heads shaking in dismay. In the nearly two hours I was there, only one person stopped to talk to one of our group about current events. Drivers were more interested in getting on with their Saturday business.

The traffic was heavy and steady as the temperature rose—hot rods from the Rod Run at Riverside Park, horse trailers from the Rodeo Parade, big rigs and compact cars kept coming. Pickups and SUVs. More pickups and SUVs. One Tesla truck, turning south on US 377. Two fighter jets roared and blasted overhead as they dove and circled each other below the clouds in a practice dogfight that drifted off to the east.

Most of the protestors were local Democrats, but one lady I stood next to told me she had just been driving by and decided to join in, making her own sign at a table that was set up in the parking lot in the shade. No pedestrians walked by on the bright white sidewalk where we made our cheerful stand. Check out some photos at the Brown County Democrats Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Brown-County-Democrats-100070253732651/

Did we change any minds? Of course not. That’s not really the point. Conversations and connections happen, as we’re standing around, watching and waving at passing traffic for an hour or more.

After giving some thought to what I might write on a sign for Saturday’s event, I chose instead to wave a big rainbow flag I inherited from a friend who passed away last year. Maybe someone driving by was reassured to see a symbol of diversity, equity, and inclusion on public display.

No Kings: National Day of Defiance next Sat. June 14

One of the big national groups organizing opposition to the current regime is Indivisible.org. If you’re ready to hit the streets for an hour or two to counter Trump’s D.C. military parade/birthday party, head over to the Indivisible website and find a No Kings event to attend. As far as I can tell, the nearest ones to Brownwood are going to be in Hamilton and Stephenville. Maybe I’ll see you there.

https://indivisible.org/

Support Your Green News

Your feedback is always welcomed, especially updates and corrections to keep the Civic Calendar current.

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Send story leads anytime, or drop by to see me at the Brownwood Art Center, 215 Fisk, weekdays, 2-6 pm. I’ll be the Gallery Guy greeting you at the front desk.

Civic Calendar: Your shortcut to citizenship and political participation

Brownwood City Council 501 Center Ave City Hall

9 am every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday

https://brownwoodtexas.gov/150/City-Council

City of Brownwood Agenda Center posts agendas for Boards and Commissions including:

City Council, Airport Board, B’wd Municipal Development District Board, Building and Standards Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission and more….

https://www.brownwoodtexas.gov/AgendaCenter

Early City Council 960 Early Blvd. City Hall

6 pm every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday

https://www.earlytx.net/96/City-Council

Blanket City council 718 Main St. Blanket Lions Club

5:30 pm Third Monday

https://www.facebook.com/cityofblanket/photos

Bangs City Council 109 S. First St. City Hall

6 pm 2^nd and 4^th Monday

https://www.cityofbangs.org/

Brown County Commissioners 200 S. Broadway County Courthouse

9 am First and Third Mondays: confirm on county calendar