Fort Worth officials discussed the future of a new landfill for the city and the launch of an illegal gunfire campaign during the April 7 work session.

The meeting also included a glance at budget forecasts for upcoming fiscal years, according to previous reporting.

Zooming in

Environmental Services Director Cody Whittenburg provided an update on the planning process as the city looks for options to replace its Southeast Landfill. He said the end of the useful life is in 2036, and until then, increasing diversion from the landfill will be a guiding principle.

That would include additional recycling. He said the city has received a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to his presentation, the planned activities are to expand public education and pilot a reuse program, new recycling equipment and improvements at the Old Hemphill Drop-Off Station.

“It is a critical piece of our infrastructure,” Whittenburg said of the solid waste program.

The approach

Republic Services will operate the landfill until its closure and post-closure care, according to the presentation. The landfill receives residential waste from Fort Worth, surrounding cities and waste from commercial haulers.

He said the city has engaged 20 different partners, including the North Central Texas Council of Governments, ratepayers and commercial and industrial partners. Whittenburg said Fort Worth is not the only municipality trying to plan for changes in landfills.

A survey, which takes five minutes to complete, is on the Fort Worth website. Whittenburg said that they will collect feedback on current services and future community needs. He said the long-range planning objective includes developing a capital plan for supporting long-range strategies and funding, and defining long-term collection and disposal initiatives that include transfer stations, landfills and recycling centers.

Whittenburg said the goal is to engage working groups to review and refine strategic options this summer and present options to the city manager this fall.

What else?

Police Chief Eddie Garcia and Sana Syed, the city of Fort Worth’s chief communications officer, talked about the launch of an illegal gunfire campaign.

Garcia said there has been nearly a 30% increase in arrests related to illegal gunfire, stating stray-bullet incidents spike during the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve and major sporting events, but added it’s a year-round issue.

He said most of the arrests for illegal gunfire have been of individuals between 16 and 23 years old.

“We do concentrate on hot spots, but we just can’t emphasize enough that this is a city-wide effort,” Garcia said. “Our objective is increasing the community understanding of the risk and consequences of reckless guns. We don’t see this as celebratory. We see it as a potential and/or violent crime. The city has taken action to put a stop to stray bullet incidents, and we will not tolerate illegal gun violence.”

According to the presentation, the consequence of illegal gunfire is up to $4,000 in fines and a year in jail. Garcia also noted the importance of locking vehicles, since many stolen gun reports are from unlocked vehicles.

The details

Syed said the proposed campaign budget of $69,241 would run from May to January 2027.

The plan included Facebook geo-target ads in Districts 2, 6, 8 and 9, though council members asked for Districts 5 and 11 to be added.

There will be ads placed on bus shelters, local newspapers, Spotify and YouTube, aimed toward the younger demographic, Syed said.

Flyers will be distributed to local Fort Worth ISD schools and, at the request of District 4 council member Charlie Lauersdorf, to Keller ISD schools. Three of the district’s seven high schools are in Fort Worth: Fossil Ridge, Timber Creek and Central.