Resources, News, and Announcements
From the Mayor’s desk – 3/21/25
Happy Friday!
I hope that everyone was able to get out last weekend and enjoy the wonderful weather to accompany a great St Patrick’s Day parade. It was fun!
Police Department:
Our new Police Chief, Philip Hester asked me to provide his personal cell number to the community in this letter. If you have concerns or questions about PD, want to alert him to a “non-emergency” issue, or just want to introduce yourself, Philip’s cell phone number is (979) 482-2324.
After a heavy weekend of beach activity with mixed results, we decided to re-open discussions on dune side parking plans. Along with input from some Surfside citizens, the Beach/Parks Dept & Police Dept have decided to provide signage and manage dune side parking only for the entire length of the beach, from Main entrance to the county line. We will need to install the dune side parking only signs, and then PD will be managing the enforcement daily with their beach patrols. PD has set a goal of 30 minutes maximum between patrols on the beach during heavy weekends and holidays. We obviously are not there yet, and I will continue to provide updates on progress made towards that goal.
Going forward with seasonal beach patrol, we will have more officers on patrol, including more reserve officers, with the full ability to answer calls and write citations (was not the case). Also, partnering with Brazoria County Sherrif’s Dept to have more beach vehicles on stand by for use as needed.
Human Resources:
Reminder that we have several positions open for hiring at City Hall:
EMS Director. One week remaining on this active job posting, If interested, please contact City Hall.
Finance Director. If interested, please contact City Hall.
Seasonal Beach positions ongoing. If interested, please contact City Hall.
Beach & Parks:
Beach & Parks crew continue with road repairs. As I’ve mentioned before, if you have a priority road patch that you believe needs to be addressed, please alert City Hall.
Last week was a busy week and weekend on the beach. We experienced many more visitors than was expected, which is a good thing. However, it did stress test our new beach pass booth crews and our police beach patrols. Several improvements have been suggested and made, which will be tested in the coming weeks before we hit full season. Our goals will be to maintain safety and efficiency for pedestrians and vehicles, a high level of beach cleanliness daily, and to uphold the respect & protection of our dunes and personal property. All of this within the umbrella of the notion that everyone should be having a good time at the beach!
Other Items of Interest:
A big thank you to the Surfside Beach St Patrick’s Day Parade Organization for their great work last weekend to host a wonderful parade. It was well run and well done. Lots of visitors, and plenty of weekend guests in our hotels and short term rentals. On behalf of the local businesses and rentals, thanks for your efforts to bring this annual event to Surfside Beach. It is much appreciated.
Have a great day and I hope to see you around the island this weekend!
Thanks,
Zach
Notice
This year's levy to fund maintenance and operations expenditures exceeds last year's maintenance and operations tax levy. The following statements must be included in the ordinance, resolution, or order setting this year's tax rate. The statements must be in larger type than the type used in any other portion of the document.
VILLAGE OF SURFSIDE BEACH ADOPTED A TAX RATE THAT WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE.
THE TAX RATE WILL EFFECTIVELY BE RAISED BY 3.50 PERCENT AND WILL RAISE TAXES FOR
MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ON A $100,000 HOME BY APPROXIMATELY $-1.99.
Notice: Warrant Round Up
The City of Village of Surfside Beach will be among
law enforcement agencies across Texas participating in this year’s Warrant
Round Up. Local law enforcement will join other regional participants in this
annual event to locate individuals with outstanding warrants. The Round Up is
scheduled to begin Saturday, February 22n, 2025.
Municipal Court officials are encouraging individuals
with warrants to contact the appropriate court to resolve their cases
voluntarily.
COURT PAYMENTS
Payments
are accepted by phone, online and mail.
You can pay for your court ticket online:
https://www.govrec.com/home/surfsidebeachcitx
·
Please
remember when entering the citation/ticket, you need to drop the zero in front
of the citation/ticket number.
·
If
paying by credit/debit card by phone, contact the court during business hours
8:00 am – 5:30 pm.
·
If
paying by cashier check/money order by mail, (PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH) send it
to the mailing address:
Attention: Surfside Beach
Municipal Court
1304 Monument
Dr
Surfside
Beach, Texas 77541
Contact Information:
Surfside Beach Municipal Court
Janet Solis – Court Administrator
979-233-1531 Ext. 105
Under Texas Law, individuals who appear before a court and
make a good faith effort to resolve their outstanding Class C Warrants are
afforded safe harbor and not subject to arrest. Additionally, if a judgment is
rendered against an individual who is unable to pay the judgment, the
individual may request a judge assess their ability to pay and offer
alternative means to satisfy the judgment.
Once the arrest period begins, officers will aggressively
seek out wanted individuals. Arrests can take place at any location, including
the defendant’s home, school or workplace.
For more information about warrants, defendants must
contact the appropriate court.
Notice
Public Works After Hours: 979-248-2085 (Please Text)
Notice
If you need help obtaining a WPI-1 for Windstorm Inspection, feel free to call the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Angleton Office at 800-248-6032, option 4, then option 3; or you may hire a Texas Certified Windstorm Engineer.
NOTICE OF DEADLINE TO FILE AN APPLICATION FOR PLACE ON THE BALLOT