The taste and odor issues with Burleson water have continued, according to the City of Fort Worth's water department (the City of Burleson gets its water from Fort Worth). The water is safe for drinking, cooking, bathing and all other purposes, although it has an earthy smell and taste. The smell and taste of the water became an issue the week of Jan. 6. This week's test results indicate that the geosmin count in Lake Benbrook has almost doubled from two weeks ago. Tarrant Regional Water District indicates this is the highest levels seen in several years. Burleson is one of 20 entities that receives its water from the City of Fort Worth. Read More

The Burleson Public Library is hosting four free workshops for entrepreneurs and small business startups starting Saturday, Jan. 25. No registration is required. All workshops are on Saturdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at the library, located at 248 S.W. Johnson Ave. The Jan. 25 workshop, "Start Your Own Business," is offered in January and on March 22. The Feb. 22 workshop is "Business Plan Basics" and the April 26 workshop is "Time Management for the Small Business Owner." Read More

Old Man Winter blew in Wednesday night and you were probably turning up the thermostats and reaching for extra blankets. The Burleson Fire Marshal's office wants to make sure you are being smart when it comes to heating your home safely in the winter. According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment accounted for 14 percent of all reported home fires in 2011 and 16 percent of home fire deaths. Between 2007 and 2011, the leading factor contributing to home heating fires was failure to clean (principally creosote from solid-fueled heating equipment) chimneys. You can make a difference by keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater; make sure your alternative heaters have tip switches; and have a three-foot "kid free zone" around open fires and space heaters. Read More

If you want to represent your neighbors on the Burleson City Council, candidate packets for the May 2014 City election will be available this month at Burleson City Hall. The four seats on the ballot include Place 2, held by Councilmember Rick Green; Place 4, held by Councilmember Matt Aiken; Place 6, held by Councilmember Ronnie Johnson; and mayor, held by Ken Shetter. Due to the Nov. 5 change to the charter, the candidates who fill the four spots on the council in May will be serving three-year terms instead of two-year terms. Candidates must be at least 18 years old on the date they apply for a place on the ballot; a citizen of the United States; a qualified voter of the city; a resident of the city or have resided in the city for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election; and not be delinquent in the payment of property taxes due to the City of Burleson. The filing period is Jan. 29-Feb. 28, 2014. For more information, contact the city secretary's office at 817-426-9661.

Those blue translucent bags that you can buy at your home improvement store are only for recycling. The blue bags cannot be used for yard waste. In June 2013, Burleson City Council members approved an amendment to an ordinance that now allows residents to use the translucent blue plastic bags, in addition to the current green recycling bins, for weekly curbside recycling collection. The blue bags cannot be less than 33 gallons in size and you can only stuff 35 pounds or less in each bag. The City will accept your yard waste if you choose to bag it. Take yard waste to the City's Compost Center, located at 620 Memorial Dr. The compost center is open on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During operating hours, Burleson residents (proof of residency is required) may take brush, leaves, and grass clippings to the site in approved paper lawn waste sacks (bought at your home improvement store). You can set your yard waste at the curb during your zone week if you don't want to make a trip to the compost center. To see what zone week you reside in, go to the City website. Zone 1 is the week of the first Monday; Zone 2 is the week of the second Monday; Zone 3 is the week of the third Monday; and Zone 4 is the week of the fourth Monday. Yard waste will be picked up by 5 p.m. on the Friday of your zone week. For more information about recycling, call 817-426-9869.

The sweetest dance is between a parent and a child, and the City is setting the stage to make that happen for Valentine's Day. Parents and their children have two chances to   celebrate with their favorite valentines on Saturday, Feb. 8. If you have little ones who can't stay up until 9 p.m., sign up for the 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Valentine Dance at the BRiCk. If you have older children, you can sign up for the 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Valentine Dance. The events will feature a dinner, dancing coordinated by a professional disc jockey, games, corsages and pictures. Pre-event tickets may be purchased at the BRiCk, 550 N.W. Summercrest Blvd. The cost is $16 per couple or $8 per person. At the door, tickets are $25 per couple or $12.50 per person. For more information, call the BRiCk at 817-426-9104.

Jamie & Sam Johnson were the lucky winners of the January drawing for a $100 credit to their City utility account. The drawing is an incentive for utilizing the bank draft feature to pay your City of Burleson utility account. All customers who choose (or currently use) this option are entered into the monthly drawing (the next one will be drawn Feb. 3).  Sign up now so you have a chance to be one of the prize winners this fiscal year. Simply fill out an application online or stop by the Utility Customer Service office located at Burleson City Hall, 141 W. Renfro St., 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The staff can start the process to automatically debit your checking account for your utility statement balance. For more information, call 817-426-9601.