Tucson NewsNet Daily Digest - A Service of the City of Tucson

CITY HOLIDAY CLOSURES MONDAY - All City of Tucson offices, except for emergency services, will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Residential and commercial trash and recycling will not be collected on Monday, and all collections will be delayed by one day. The Los Reales Sustainability Campus (landfill) will be open. Sun Tran, Sun Van, and the Sun Link streetcar will operate on a regular weekday schedule on MLK Day.
Environmental and General Services Department
Sun Tran/Sun Link

WATER AND TRASH/RECYLING RATE ADJUSTMENTS TO TAKE EFFECT THIS YEAR - After a series of public meetings and public hearings, the City of Tucson's Mayor and Council yesterday, Jan. 11, voted to increase rates and fees for Tucson Water and the Environmental and General Services Department (EGSD) to keep up with increasing costs and aging infrastructure. Some rates haven't been changed in more than a decade, even as the departments expanded their services. Water rates will go up by 5.5% each year over the next four years at the start of the new fiscal year, July 1, 2023, but the rates will be reviewed each year. The CAP surcharge is also going up by 30 cents per 100 cubic feet of water (CCF) starting next month in response to the ongoing drought on the Colorado River. Mayor and Council also approved raising EGSD rates for trash and recycling collection from $16.75 per month to $20 per month on Feb. 13, 2023, for customers using the most-common 95-gallon containers. A second adjustment will occur on Jan. 1, 2024, to $23 per month, following a review by Mayor and Council in late 2023 to confirm that the second increase is still warranted. A 10% across-the-board fee adjustment will go into effect July 1, 2023, for all commercial fees.
Watch the public hearings and meeting on City of Tucson YouTube channel (items 8 and 9)
Mayor and Council agendas

PLAN TUCSON OPEN HOUSE NEXT WEEK - What do you want for Tucson? Your vision for the future of our community is needed as we update Plan Tucson, the City of Tucson General & Sustainability Plan (2013), and you're invited to attend the first open house about the plan. The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 4-7 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center (West Meeting Room), 260 S. Church Ave. During the first phase of community outreach this spring, Tucson residents will be asked to share their priorities and vision for the future of our City. This is an opportunity for the community to learn about the City’s recent efforts, assess challenges and needs, and guide Tucson’s long-term direction.
Plan Tucson
Sign up for Plan Tucson email updates

CITY OF TUCSON CELEBRATES THE GRAND OPENING OF A NEW PLAYGROUND AT FORT LOWELL PARK - Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Ward 2 City Council Member Paul Cunningham, and Tucson Parks and Recreation are pleased to announce the completion of a new playground at Fort Lowell Park, 2900 N. Craycroft Road. A ribbon-cutting will be held tomorrow, Jan. 13, at 12:30 p.m. The project included new playground structures with shade and an ADA-accessible walkway. The playground features a variety of play structures designed to encourage physical activity, social interaction, and imaginative play. The playground was made possible through Tucson Delivers 2018 voter-approved Proposition 407 bond funds and a generous donation of the latest in play innovations from Burke, a playground manufacturer.
Read the news release

HHW/DOCUMENT SHREDDING EVENT AND TREECYCLE THIS WEEKEND - The City of Tucson's Environmental and General Services Department (EGSD) is hosting its monthly Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Event this Saturday, Jan. 14, from 8 a.m.-noon, at the Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Ave. (enter from Irvington Road onto 3rd Avenue). City residents can drop off HHW, electronic waste, paper documents for shredding (limit 3 boxes), and glass bottles and jars at no charge. Unknown chemicals will not be accepted. The event is free for City of Tucson residents with proof of address. Residents from Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, and unincorporated Pima County will be charged a $10 fee to drop off materials. EGSD hosts HHW collection events on the second Saturday of every month in different areas across Tucson. Follow the links below for more information. Meanwhile, this is the last weekend residents can recycle their once-living Christmas trees through the City of Tucson’s TreeCycle program, which ends Monday, Jan. 16. TreeCycle collection sites are located throughout the Tucson area. You can find more information and see a list of drop-off sites by following the TreeCycle link below.
HHW accepted materials list
HHW schedule (PDF)
HHW program details
TreeCycle information and sites
EGSD

PARTICIPATE IN THE WARD 4 NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUP THIS WEEKEND - Tucson City Council Member Nikki Lee (Ward 4), Vice Mayor Steve Kozachik (Ward 6), and their teams will be kicking off their neighborhood cleanup pilot project this Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8 a.m. The first project of 2023 will be within the Corbett Neighborhood Association, with support from the City Manager's Office and the Environmental and General Services Department. Together, volunteers will clean heavily overgrown alleyways within the two wards that have historic crime problems. This will be the first of many neighborhood cleanups. You can choose to help at Morningside Baptist Church (5902 E. 29th St.) or behind Nick’s Sari-Sari Restaurant (2001 S. Craycroft Road). If you would like to join one of the cleanups, email [email protected].