City Council to meet Dec. 18 

Mesquite City Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18, at City Hall, 757 N. Galloway Ave. Members of the public, applicants and interested parties may attend the meeting in person. Members of the public desiring to comment during Citizens Forum must preregister by either sending an email to sland@cityofmesquite.com or calling 972-329-8388 before 3 p.m. on Dec. 18. Provide the City Secretary with your name and address. Comments on agenda items may be made during the meeting or by submission on or before 3 p.m. on Dec. 18 to the City Secretary. View meeting agendas online. The City broadcasts meetings via Facebook Live and at www.cityofmesquite.com/WatchCouncilMeetings.

Shop local this holiday season

The holiday shopping season is here and the City of Mesquite is encouraging citizens to shop local. Shopping at businesses and eating at restaurants in Mesquite helps business owners and our local economy. Worried about traffic? The City continues to promote alternate driving directions to shoppers for key destinations in Mesquite, such as Town East Mall. Visit shopping routes for more information. The page offers ways to shop more and drive less by using different roads to travel and avoid traffic. Learn more about shopping local at www.ShopMesquiteTX.com.

Holiday closures and service impacts

The City of Mesquite offices and facilities will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. A few facilities will be open these days. Click here to find out more. Trash will be collected on Christmas Eve but not Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

Properly dispose of fats, oils and grease during the holidays

Don’t ruin your holidays with a sewer backup in your home. Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) are the residue left over from cooking with food items such as meat, butter, lard, sauces, dressings, dairy products and cooking oil. FOG and debris poured down drains can build up and cause backups in both private and the City-maintained sewer system. To avoid expensive plumbing repairs and damage to the sewer system:

• scrape or wipe cooled grease or fat from all cookware and place in the trash; and

• pour or scrape grease into a sturdy closed-lid container and dispose in the trash.

Residents may recycle used holiday cooking oil for free at the City of Mesquite Convenience Center, 3550 Lawson Road, or other nearby drop-off locations. Check out the Defend Your Drains website at www.DefendYourDrainsNorthTexas.com.

Barrier on I-635 at Military / Scyene to be replaced 

TxDOT is preparing to replace a cable barrier in the TxDOT IH 635 median from Military Parkway / Scyene Road south to Balch Springs with a concrete traffic barrier.  Webber Construction starts work in January 2024. Expect delays.

Legislative changes lowered some property tax bills

Recent legislative changes have significantly lowered residents tax bills. The increase in the homestead exemption and other changes to assist over 65 tax payers have resulted in much lower school taxes. To view your tax bill, click here.