Belton staff outline beautification plan, changes to code-enforcement process and a pilot neighborhood cleanup

City staff presented a coordinated beautification and neighborhood-improvement package to the City Council on Aug. 12 that pairs a new plant-and-signage plan with proposed changes to code enforcement and a pilot cleanup program.

The beautification plan, drafted by City Planner Jennifer Fernandez with Public Works input, recommends a standardized planting palette for city entrances and medians, new wayfinding signage and durable plant species chosen for drought and salt tolerance. Staff said $20,000 for wayfinding and $75,000 for landscaping were included in the FY26 budget and that some planting and irrigation work on the 160th Street corridor is already under way.

On code enforcement and neighborhood improvement, staff proposed several operational changes to improve outcomes and efficiency: using courtesy door hangers while simultaneously creating a formal violation record in certain cases; increasing the notice period for property-maintenance and zoning violations to 60 days (to reduce repeated extensions caused by contractor scheduling); permitting one 60-day extension with additional discretion assigned to the assistant city manager; and automatically sending violation notices for high-weeds/grass to begin the compliance clock earlier in the growing season.

Staff emphasized earlier intervention and community assistance. They proposed a pilot “dumpster day” in the Semoran Trails neighborhood and a brush/cleanup event at Markey Park in early October, funded from the neighborhood-improvement budget. The pilot aims to help homeowners who lack means to remove bulky trash and brush; staff said a small number of dumpsters and volunteer support would be used, with a tightly prescribed schedule to avoid prolonged curbside accumulation.

Staff also recommended a community-resources guide to connect residents to nonprofit or volunteer assistance, possible creation of a minor home-repair or beautification grant to help low-income homeowners, and consideration of adding an additional neighborhood improvement officer to improve coverage. Staff noted rental-registration revenues could help support additional enforcement staffing tied to rental inspections, which are already conducted by neighborhood improvement officers.

Staff said the proposed changes would be phased: several operational changes could occur within six months at no budget increase, while program expansions and staff increases would require future budget requests.

Ending: Council members requested follow-up details on costs, timelines and evaluation metrics for the pilot dumpster day and the potential new officer. Staff said they would return with refined budget numbers and program rules for council consideration.