City of Fort Worth, Texas sent this bulletin at 04/15/2020 09:28 PM CDT
Making Fort Worth the best place to live, work and play.
April 2020 | District 4 Update
It has been one month since our first EmergencyDeclaration was made. Throughout this time, our essential workers have been hard at work placing "social distancing" measures into place, without hindering response to city needs. It is due to their continued work, that we as a city remain steady. Police, Fire, Medical, JEOC team and staff have been crucial to the city during these challenging times. We cannot thank them enough for their sacrifice and hard work to keep us safe, healthy and informed.
A big thanks to our TPW Stormwater Engineers for designing and constructing a new stormwater basin on the East border of the #6 Fairway of the Woodhaven Golf Course. The new basin includes an expanded drainage system from the basin to the course pond.
In addtion, a new golf-cart path and grass were installed, bringing an overall great look to this area.
Fort Worth extends Stay at Home Declaration in response to COVID-19 until April 30
On April 7, the Fort Worth City Council extended the emergency declaration that was originally signed by Mayor Betsy Price on Monday, April 6, 2020 to implement stay home, work safe restrictions to help combat the spread and impact of COVID-19 on the City of Fort Worth.
This action extends the declaration through April 30, 2020.
FWISD rearranges Meals to Go schedule for safety of participants
Posted April 6, 2020 | Last updated April 13, 2020
FWISD employees check in meal recipients as they arrive to be served.
The Fort Worth ISD is implementing a major change in its student Meals To Go program aimed at improving the safety of all involved.
Beginning the week of April 13, the meal distribution will be adjusted from daily (Monday through Friday) to a two-day-a-week schedule (Monday and Thursday). The district will provide six meals per child on each distribution day beginning at noon. This will improve the efficiency of providing more meals to children, while better practicing Centers for Disease Control guidelines on social distancing.
The first distribution day under this new format will be Tuesday, April 14 because April 13 is a student holiday. The second meal distribution day will be Thursday, April 16. The regular Monday and Thursday distribution cycle will begin the week of April 20.
The Fort Worth ISD decided to implement this change because it:
Provides an increase in the recommended social distancing guidelines and reduces gatherings for parents and students from five days a week to two days per week.
Promotes more parent and student engagement in online instruction daily versus the time required to pick up meals daily.
Reduces employee interaction from five days to two days per week.
Supports the City of Fort Worth’s Safer at Home resolution.
Follows Texas Department of Agriculture revised regulations.
The Meals To Go program has been a successful partnership between the FWISD and its food service vendor, Sodexo MAGIC.
Service requests for several city departments are available on the app.
Fort Worth residents and visitors now have a quick and easy way to report issues to the city.
The new My Fort Worth (MyFW) app is now available. After downloading the app, users can provide a brief description, photos and use a map-based location feature to submit issues like graffiti, potholes or high grass. Once submitted, the request will go directly to the appropriate city work team for a quick response. The user can view the status of the request in the app and receive a notification when the work is complete.
Service requests for Code Compliance, Human Resources, Park & Recreation and Transportation & Public Works are all currently available on the app.
MyFW also saves time and money by automating many employee tasks. It saves gas and eliminates travel by enabling city staff to instantly upload reports and photo documentation from the worksite. Employees can initiate work orders from their office or in the field. The app interfaces with many existing workflow systems, making responses to residents more efficient and accurate.
A door-to-door vendor shall not engage in solicitation activities:
(a) At any residence or business that has a “No Soliciting” or “No Trespassing” sign posted on the property;
(b) At any residence or business where the door-to-door vendor has been verbally informed that no solicitation of food, goods, services or merchandise is allowed; or
(c) At any residence before 9:00 a.m. and after 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time and after 8:00 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time, unless at the occupant’s request.
Ordinance exemptions: politics or religion do not require a permit.
“No Trespassing” or “No Soliciting” signs clearly posted should deter anyone from soliciting on your property.
§§ 30-5 OBSTRUCTING FREE USE OF STREETS, SIDEWALKS.
It shall be unlawful for any grouping or assemblage of persons, whose standing, remaining or congregating upon any public street or sidewalk shall obstruct, prevent or interfere with the free or unobstructed use of such street or sidewalk by other persons, to fail or refuse to move on or to disperse upon being ordered to do so by any police officer of the city or other peace officer.
(1964 Code, § 33-5)
§ 23-14 POSTING OF HANDBILLS, SIGNS, POSTERS OR ADVERTISEMENTS IN CERTAIN PLACES—PROHIBITED.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, other than the owner of the property to post, fasten, erect or display, or cause to be posted, fastened, erected or displayed:
Any type of handbill, sign, poster or advertisement on or upon any structure, tree, pole, curb or elsewhere within the right-of-way of any public street, or upon any public property within the City of Fort Worth, without the express permission of the city council of the City of Fort Worth;
§ 30-16 AGGRESSIVE PANHANDLING OR SOLICITATION
30-16 AGGRESSIVE PANHANDLING OR SOLICITATION.
(a) Definitions. In this section, the following definitions apply:
AGGRESSIVE MANNER, AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR or AGGRESSIVELY. As related to soliciting, begging and panhandling means:
Using violent or threatening gestures toward a person solicited;
Continuing to solicit from a person after the person has given a negative response to such soliciting;
Intentionally touching or causing physical contact with another person without that person's consent in the course of soliciting;
Intentionally blocking or interfering with the safe or free passage of a pedestrian or vehicle by any means, including causing a pedestrian or vehicle operator to take evasive action to avoid physical contact;
Soliciting money from anyone who is waiting in line for tickets, for entry to a building or for any other purpose;
Approaching or following a person for solicitation individually or as part of a group of two or more persons, in a manner and with conduct, words, or gestures intended or likely to cause a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm or damage to or loss of property or otherwise to be harassed or intimidated into giving money or other thing of value; or
Soliciting, begging or panhandling of minors less than 16 years of age.
AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE. A device, linked to a bank or financial institution's account records, which is able to carry out transactions, including, but not limited to: account transfers, deposits, cash withdrawals, balance inquiries, and mortgage and loan payments which are made available to banking customers.
BANK. A bank, savings bank, savings and loan association, credit union, trust company, or similar financial institution.
CHECK CASHING BUSINESS. An entity in the business of cashing checks, drafts, or money orders for consideration.
PARKING METER or PARKING PAY STATION. A location on a street, parking lot or parking garage where persons pay, for parking by either cash or credit, to a person or at a machine or other device designed to accept payment for parking.
PRIVATE BUILDING. Shall be deemed to include, but is not limited to, retail or service establishments, such as restaurants, convenience food stores, laundromats, service stations, hotels, offices, and similar privately owned establishments open to the public. This term does not include any building owned, leased or operated by the federal or state government, political subdivisions thereof, municipalities, special districts, any public administration board or authority of the state.
PUBLIC AREA. An area to which the public has access and includes, but is not limited to, the common area of a hospital, apartment house, office building, transport facility, shop, basement, building entrance or doorway, lobby, hallway, stairway, mezzanine, elevator, foyer, public restroom or sitting room or any other place used in common by the public, tenants, occupants or guests situated in any private building.
PUBLIC PLACE. A place to which a governmental entity has title to which the public has access, including, but not limited to: any street, highway, sidewalk, walkway, parking lot, plaza, transportation facility, school, place of amusement, park, or playground.
SOLICIT, ASK, BEG or PANHANDLE. To request, by the spoken, written, or printed word, or by other means of communication an immediate donation or transfer of money or another thing of value from another person, regardless of the solicitor's purpose or intended use of the money or other thing of value, and regardless of whether consideration is offered.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person solicits:
(1) In an aggressive manner in a public area or public place; or
(2) Within 20 feet of the following areas where the public is considered vulnerable or where solicitation would interfere with the flow of pedestrian or motor vehicle traffic:
An automated teller machine;
The entrance or exit of a bank;
The entrance or exit of a check cashing business;
An authorized charitable contribution activity;
A parking meter or parking pay station on a street;
A public parking garage or parking lot pay station;
The entrance or exit of a restaurant or the service area of an outdoor eating establishment;
In a bus, at a bus station or stop, or at a facility operated by a transportation authority for passengers including but not limited to any school bus stop;
A marked crosswalk; or
An entrance of a commercial or government building.
(3) Within five feet of a curb or edge of a street;
(4) Within 50 feet from any land owned by a public or private school and used in whole or in part for providing education services to elementary age children;
(5) Within ten feet of a gas station, liquor store, or convenience store property;
(6) In a public restroom; or
(7) At a public event that is operating by permit issued by the city at city parks as defined in the city code;
(c) Private property.
(1) No person may solicit, ask, beg or panhandle on private property or residential property without permission from the owner or occupant.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to:
Solicit, ask, beg or panhandle, as those terms are defined in this chapter, in any public room in any private building, without the written permission or consent of the building's owner or managing and authorizing agent. For the purpose of enforcement of this subsection, it is presumed that if the owner, lessee, managing agent or other person in charge of a building prominently displays a sign as provided in subsection (c), then the activities declared unlawful in this section are deemed to be without the permission or consent of the building's owner, lessee, managing agent or other person.
Solicit, ask, beg or panhandle, as those terms are defined in this chapter, on any private property where the owner, lessee, managing agent or other person in charge of such property displays a sign as provided in subsection (c).
Conspicuous notice. To invoke the protections afforded under this section, each owner, lessee, managing agent or person in charge of the operation of a private building or private property shall prominently display a sign on the premises, such as the lobby or entrance of the private building or private property, where it may be read by any person going in or out of the building or private developed property stating generally: "NO PANHANDLING PERMITTED SEC. 30-16, FORT WORTH CODE OF ORDINANCES" "NO SOLICITORS" or "NO SOLICITATION."
(d) For purposes of subsection (b) in this Section, measurement shall be made in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest point at which an unlawful act is conducted to the nearest portion to the items listed in subsection (b).
(e) The solicitation of contributions while standing on a traffic median, shoulder, improved shoulder, sidewalk, or the improved portion of the roadway from occupants of any vehicle on a roadway, street or thoroughfare shall only be permitted in compliance with the terms and conditions set out in Section 30-7, "Solicitation" of the city code, provided they are not in an aggressive manner as defined in this section.
(f) Any person who engages in any activity specified in subsection (b), maybe subject to prosecution for a Class C misdemeanor and a fine not to exceed $500.
Dogs must be kept on a leash and under the direct physical control of the owner or handler while in any city park or recreation area. Dogs are permitted off-leash only in those portions of the park designated by the director of park and recreation as off-leash areas. Dogs must remain under the immediate personal supervision and command of the owner or handler while in off-leash areas.
