Phillip “Phil” Urrutia will join the City of Garland as an Assistant City Manager on Monday, Oct. 3. He has more than 14 years of experience in municipal government including leadership roles in Municipal Court, Purchasing and Fleet. 

Most recently, he served as Assistant City Manager in Odessa, with responsibility for Public Works, Utilities, Development, Parks & Recreation and a host of other services. He successfully led many projects for the City of Odessa, including the municipal response to COVID-19, Winter Storm Uri and other events. He has also served in a key role with Downtown Odessa’s revitalization efforts including development of a hotel and convention center and other major capital projects. Learn more.

The new site for Fire Station No. 6 and improvements to Hollabaugh Recreation Center were officially put in motion Thursday, Sept. 29, as Mayor Scott LeMay and the City Council led staff, project leaders and other guests at groundbreaking ceremonies.

It was the third time in less than two years that ground had been broken at multiple sites on the same day as Garland continues to quickly implement the record $423.7 million bond package that Council proposed and voters approved in 2019. Learn more.

The City of Garland strives to provide timely, useful information about City services, programs and resources.

We value your input and understand the importance of making our communications as easy to access as possible.

Complete the Garland Communications survey before Monday, Oct. 31, to share your thoughts. Learn more.

The City of Garland’s Public & Media Relations (PMR) team and the Garland Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Garland, recently earned national and statewide recognition for excellence.

Garland’s PMR team earned two first-place trophies and one second-place trophy, in addition to an Award of Honor for Overall Excellence, from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. 

PMR also received state honors for videos produced in conjunction with Visit Garland. These awards include two first-place trophies from the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus' newly evolved Destination Excellence Awards. 

The Visit Garland team earned a total of six first-place Destination Excellence Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to destination management in Texas. Learn more.

The Tree Power Free Tree Program teams Garland Power & Light with the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department to provide a free tree to Garland residents in an effort to help save energy and beautify the community.

Register for a free tree beginning Monday, Oct. 3. Registration runs through Friday, Oct. 28. Tree pickup is Saturday, Nov. 5.

At the registration site, you can view tree descriptions and select the tree you want. One tree per household. Must be a Garland resident. Residence will be verified.

A confirmation email with the pickup time and location will be sent to you after successful registration. Bring the email with you when picking up the tree. Trucks are recommended for easier tree loading. Call 972-205-3589 for more information.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. 

Around Garland, neighborhood groups and communities will gather together for various activities and festivities Tuesday, Oct. 4. Contact your Neighborhood Police Officer to see what's happening in your neighborhood.

Share your celebrations on social media and tag them with #GarlandNeighbors and #MYMGarland. 

The Garland City Council will not meet Tuesday, Oct. 4, so that Council members can participate in this event.

Join the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest via Zoom from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, for the next talk in their guest speaker series.

Carol Garrison, education coordinator for the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center in Kaufman County, will talk about “The Incredible Importance of Bats."

To learn more about this event, visit SpringCreekForest.org.

The Garland Symphony Orchestra kicks off its exciting "Music that Grows on You" season with internationally acclaimed pianist Arseniy Gusev at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the Granville Arts Center, 300 N. Fifth St.

Enjoy performances of J. Strauss II’s "Overture to

Waldmeister," Finzi’s "The Fall of the Leaf,"

and Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 6 in F Major."

Call 972-205-2790, visit GarlandBoxOffice.com or purchase your tickets in-person at the Granville Arts Center Box Office.

Enjoy a variety of free activities with the Garland Fire Department from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Fire Administration and Training Facility, 1500 State Highway 66. 

Safety Fest will include food trucks, safety demonstrations, a helicopter landing, a bounce slide, face painting, pet adoptions and an appearance by the Garland Police Department. Kids can even try their luck on our firefighter obstacle course! Learn more.

Register for the blood drive now!

The Garland Municipal Court will conduct a Warrant Resolution Drive from Monday, Oct. 17, through Friday, Oct. 21. Anyone with an active outstanding warrant with the court is encouraged to resolve their warrant without fear of being arrested.

During that week, anyone with an active outstanding warrant can appear in-person between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the clerk’s window at Garland Municipal Court, 1791 W. Avenue B, to resolve their outstanding warrant(s) and take advantage of the warrant resolution drive incentives.

Alternatively, anyone with an active outstanding warrant can see a judge at the Walk-In Docket from 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at Garland Municipal Court. Learn more.

This year's flu vaccine and the bivalent COVID-19 booster are now available at the Garland Public Health Clinic.

Flu shots are available for adults, children and seniors who are insured. Low-cost flu vaccines for uninsured children and adults are also available.

It is recommended that individuals wait at least two months after completion of the primary COVID vaccination series or their most recent booster. For full eligibility information, visit GarlandTX.gov.

Both vaccinations are available at the Garland Public Health Clinic, 206 Carver St., from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.

Call 972-205-3370 for pricing and to learn what insurance plans are accepted. Learn more.

The Customer Service Department has introduced a new customer account web portal.

City of Garland utility customers who used the previous web-based tool will be required to create a new username and password. Learn about your new account number.

The new portal provides additional utility billing detail, customer account information, options to make a payment and many new features that will enhance users' online experience.

Visit GarlandUtilities.org to learn more.