The City of Itasca has recently renovated its City Hall with a fresh coat of paint, new flooring, and wall décor making it a warmer and inviting atmosphere. City Hall houses several departments, which include the water department, tax department, Code Enforcement, and the office of the City Secretary.

City Hall is a bustling work environment with the collection of taxes and utility billing under the management of Sue Comer, the daily filing and purging of important records under the watchful eye of part-time employee George Bolling, while Felicia Mayberry continues to update and enforce city ordinances. Serving as the "Nerve Center" of City Hall is the Office of the City Secretary, Cynthia Lewis. Cynthia Lewis is responsible for the preparation & dissemination of the City Council meeting agendas, packets, recording accurate minutes of their proceedings, engrossing and enrolling all laws, ordinances and resolution of the City of Itasca.

If that's not enough, City Secretary, Cynthia Lewis is also responsible for city payroll, insurance, processing and disbursing funds for payment, finance audits, publishing appropriate financial statements & reports. City employees cannot tell you enough how much they appreciate everyone's efforts to make Itasca a city of growth and opportunity.

City Administrator

Setting the framework for the Big Little Town is City Administrator, Mark Gropp. Mark has served the community of Itasca through various positions, first as a business owner then becoming elected as Mayor in 2002. After serving a full term he was appointed City Administrator in February of 2004. As such, Mark oversees the day-to-day operations of the city, supervising each department, administrating and enforcing the policies set forth by the council, and managing the City's finances. Mark works closely with the City Council, City employees, and citizens to establish policies, legislation, goals and objectives for the City of Itasca. He responds to all inquiries, request, or complaints in a professional manner and provides citizens with CLEAR and accurate information. Mark continues to be committed to improving the city's growth and development by providing our citizens with the highest level of citizen satisfaction.

Water and Sewer Department

The City of Itasca continues to work hard to improve the water and sewer service to our citizens. The City of Itasca recently hired Wayne Upchurch to manage the daily operations of the water and sewer systems. Wayne is a certified Water and Waste Water Operator in accordance with the state of Texas, and received his accreditation with TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality).

"The work to install new sewer lines was recently completed and all is well," stated Wayne. Along with Maintenance Supervisor Albert Arellano, Ben Patrick, and John Rios, Upchurch keeps the outer infrastructure of the city functioning as efficiently as possible. Albert Arellano and his maintenance team are in charge of water repairs, sewer problems, minor street repairs, and animal control. Along with their hectic and heavy work load, Albert and his team find time to assist the elderly during spring and fall clean-up. This department provides a vital service to the City of Itasca and we are thankful for all that they do.
 

Streets

Major repairs of the city streets took place during the summer of 2003. Maintenance Supervisor, Albert Arellano along with Ben Patrick and John Rios continue to work hard to keep the roads in good repair. The majority of these repaired streets are holding up well with just an occasional patching of pot holes.

When heavy vehicles run off the side of a street and then pull back onto the street, they cause the side to crumble. This crumbling then expands and causes pot-holes. If there are areas in your neighborhood that are starting to deteriorate, call City Hall at 687-2201 and report the problem before it becomes a huge hole.

Police Department

Over the past several years, the City of Itasca has seen a lot of growth. Along with the City, the Itasca Police Department has also grown to meet the law enforcement needs of the citizens of Itasca. The department, along with the patrol division, also consists of a criminal investigation division and a narcotics division. The police department consists of six sworn peace officers that provide 24 hours, seven days a week coverage. The officers patrol the corporate city limits and the adjacent interstate. In October 2008, the police department is hosting its first "National Night Out." National Night Out is designed to, among other things, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnership.

Fire Department

The Itasca Fire Department was founded in 1876 and has been serving the citizens of Itasca ever since. Currently there are approximately 27 members. Since the department is all volunteer, it is always looking for new volunteers to serve in whatever capacity they can. The department has a diverse job description. They respond to calls such as motor vehicle crashes, medical calls, brush fires, house fires, just to name a few. In November of 2005, the City of Itasca purchased a new engine and recently added two more vehicles to its fleet. This fleet of vehicles will continue to serve its citizens and respond adequately to all calls.

Economic Development Committee (EDC)

The Itasca EDC was revived in 2005 to create an environment that will attract businesses to promote developmental growth of the city. The committee of 7 has been active in revitalizing the city from painting fire hydrants to the recent completion of the Heritage Community Park. The committee meets quarterly throughout the year to discuss existing and future plans for the community. The committee continues to strive to create a community that will bring new businesses and families to our "Big Little Town."

Planning and Zoning Committee

The City of Itasca adopted a zoning ordinance in 2004 as the code of the city for the development, erection, construction, alteration, repair, moving, occupancy, and maintenance of all buildings, structures and lots in the city of Itasca. The Planning and Zoning Committee helps ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of the public by implementing all laws of the zoning ordinance. The committee of seven provides fair, consistent, and thorough service to its citizens. The committee meets the second Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. to review submitted building permit applications and discuss any city related issues.

Community Welcomes New Construction

The City of Itasca continues to see growth within the community with the complete construction of 7 homes on Grayson Drive and 2 on East Spurgeon. Besides the construction of these homes existing homes that were once uninhabitable are being renovated and made livable. These homes will be a boost for the town as well as the tax roll.

Itasca needs businesses and they continue to come gradually. In the last 5 years the downtown area has welcomed numerous businesses including: a Dollar General store, 2 storage facilities, 2 beauty shops, antique shop, and two convenience stores.
With the existing storage rental facility, Lloyd Ford Motors, and Smart Stop, the outskirts of Itasca continue to grow and develop with the newly added warehouse of Conveyors & Power Transmission Solutions. These businesses added to Itasca's tax base but also to the appeal when potential companies and people investigate the opportunities of locating to Itasca.

With the building of new homes, renovated homes, and businesses, the City of Itasca is not only building new neighborhoods but new lives.