The City of Huntsville - Research Paper

Introduction

The city of Huntsville in Walker County, Texas, is a city with a population of 38,548 people as indicated by the 2010 census and it is located in the east Texas piney woods. The city is known to be home to the Sam Houston State University amongst other prominent public institutions. The city of Huntsville traces its beginning in 1835 after the opening of a trading post, and Ephraim Gray named it. The city is famous because it gave the Republic of Texas a president (Sam Houston) who previously led Texas into a successful revolution. The city of Huntsville is located at the center of Walker County and served as the Walker County headquarters in the early days (Charles, and Gerald). The strategic location of the city played a significant role towards the city growth during the colonial era. Today, Huntsville is home to the State of Texas criminal justice department and hosts five prisons (Devlin). The city has recently appeared on the news due to its continued execution of inmates which has not been happening in most states while at the same time crime rates have been on the rise as the city expands (Fernandez and Schwartz).

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Government

Huntsville city is headed by a democratic government elected by the people of Huntsville as their representatives. The mayor is the highest political office in Huntsville, and ward representatives assist the mayor. The city government has its base in City Hall where the mayor and the ward representatives meet to address the council and make policies for the city. The meetings in City Hall are open to the public, and also all the meetings are digitally aired to the people through the city website. Boards and commissions are in charge of the different programs in the city and the chief legal counsel to the city of Huntsville is the city attorney. The city attorney has an important responsibility because the office gives office ordinances, review the contracts and any other business relationship between the city of Huntsville and other parties and represents the attorney general of the State of Texas. The commissions and boards are made up of residents of the city who helps in the coordination of different programs and departments in the city. The management of the city employees and the citizens is the work of the city manager who is assisted by the city secretary. The city has departments that are in charge of providing public health, security and the welfare of the people. The city is founded under the principle of transparency in which all the public procurements and expenses are made available to the public. Other essential departments in the city of Huntsville include; the department of tourism, the fire department, the engineering and mapping, finance, human resources, municipal court, police department, public library and the main street program amongst others. The departments are responsible for managing service delivery to the people and ensure proper public planning for the success of the city of Huntsville and its people. Committees are very instrumental in the running of the city because they are responsible for making city bylaws which govern the conduct of the residents (Huntsville).

Community Resources, Budget and Commerce

Community resources are the public amenities such as schools, libraries, hospitals and the recreation facilities. The city of Huntsville has well-developed community resources which attract many people in the city for business or permanent settlement. The city has many educational institutions at all levels with the most famous Sam Houston state university. Families are at ease in the city because the children have a variety of educational institutions such as Alpha Omega Academy, Faith Lutheran School, Gibbs Elementary School, Huntsville Classical Academy, Mance Park Middle School and Premier High School Huntsville. The city has public leisure utilities such as the Aquatic Center, Bush-Miller Park and the Downtown Courthouse Square which provides a variety of social amenities for the people who live in Huntsville. Besides, there are a variety of tourist attractions in the city such as the Sam Houston Statue and the memorial museum which attracts both local people and people from the neighboring cities (Huntsville). The city of Huntsville main source of income is taxes collected in commerce facilities such as businesses that operate within the city because it is a business hub in Walker County. The city revenue comes from water sales, waste tax revenue, sales taxes, administrative reimbursement, property tax, franchise tax and hotel taxes which are the most significant source of the city resources which are spent towards waste management, paying city officials and development projects (O'Brien 23-24).

Safety

Safety is a significant point to note in the city of Huntsville with an investment in the Safety Town which is a realistic town that is created to ensure that children are exposed to various issues pertaining safety and self-defense such as bicycle safety, fire, and gun safety, poison prevention, traffic rules, water safety and the use of 911 systems which prepares children to face different dangers that they can be exposed to in life. Community policing is a vital approach through which the Huntsville city community can maintain peace, and most people are friendly. The police and the fire departments are easily accessible through 911 and also through their social media accounts (Huntsville).

Solid Waste Management

Solid waste management processes in the city of Huntsville is well defined which has contributed significantly towards keeping the city clean. The solid waste management and recycling processes are well developed which has contributed substantially to the cleanliness of the city. The city of Huntsville uses the solid waste collection, disposal, and recycling standards that were established by the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, the City ordinances and the United Environmental Protection Agency. Adhering to these standards has significantly contributed to commercial, residential and recycling services that are effective and has promoted substantially to making the city a haven for tourists. The public works department provides streets drainage and wastewater services, and the city also has access to clean water which is used in business and residential establishments (Huntsville).

Digitization of the City Services

Most of the services in the city of Huntsville have been digitized which has improved the convenience of the people to comply with different city regulations and also has contributed towards making the city a community. The city codes, practices, and laws are readily available in the city websites which has improved the people compliance and participation in the city affairs. The interactive websites have simplified business operations and also access to any city information. The city of Huntsville emergency notification system which is digitized makes the city safer for the people amidst growing domestic and international terrorism in the United States of America (Huntsville).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the city of Huntsville Texas is a progressive city that has the high potential for growth. The city is made by diverse ethnic populations and has elaborate leadership and development systems. The city has embraced technology by digitization of most of the city services which has increased access convenience by the people. The city has all the necessary social facilities which have promoted the ability of the city to attract investors and tourists.

Works Cited

Huntsville: "Huntsville, TX - Official Website | Official Website." Demographics | Huntsville, TX - Official Website, www.huntsvilletx.gov/.

Charles, and Gerald L. "HUNTSVILLE, TX." The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), 15 June 2010, tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/heh03.

Devlin, Vince. "Huntsville, Texas, Home to Prisons, Seven-Story Sam Houston." Missoulian.com, 16 Dec. 2011, missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/huntsville-texas-home-to-prisons-seven-story-sam-houston/article_c5ebf902-2798-11e1-8927-0019bb2963f4.html.

Fernandez, M and Schwartz, J "Confronted on Execution, Texas Proudly Says It Kills Efficiently." The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/us/facing-challenge-to-execution-texas-calls-its-process-the-gold-standard.html.

O'Brien, Laurie. City of Huntsville, Texas Annual Budget FY 2016-2017. Finance & Budget Analyst, City of Huntsville, Texas Annual Budget FY 2016-2017, www.huntsvilletx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7863/2017-Annual-Budget-Book.