The City of Fair Oaks Ranch received confirmation from the Public Works Department that crews completed citywide brush collection on May 5, 2023.

City Staff and vendor crews began working on the brush collection project on March 6th after the Mayor and City Council declared Winter Storm Mara a local disaster and authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement to begin brush removal throughout the City.

Over the course of this project Interim City Manager Scott Huizenga reported, “While most cities had a few thousand cubic yards of brush to collect, our crews collected an astonishing amount equivalent to over 43,000 cubic yards of brush and downed tree limbs from approximately 2,315 piles throughout the City of Fair Oaks Ranch. Fair Oaks Ranch residents take great pride in the care and preservation of our trees. This feat far surpasses anything we’ve seen from neighboring cities.”   The amount of brush and downed tree limbs that the crews collected was enough to fill 12 Olympic size swimming pools or a full football field end-to-end stacked 20 feet high. 

The City of Fair Oaks Ranch was financially prepared for the possibility of emergency situations such as this, and due to proactive strategic planning, the City had adequate emergency reserve funds to cover the costs of this huge undertaking. As part of the forward-thinking action of the Mayor and City Council to declare a local disaster, the City of Fair Oaks Ranch is also expecting to receive reimbursement of 70% for the costs accrued in the Kendall County portion of the City. Only Kendall County was included in the disaster declaration requested by Governor Greg Abbott and ultimately approved by President Biden.

The City is extremely proud of its public-private partnerships with city and contracted crews to accomplish an overwhelming task with no advanced warning. The City response will help to continue to preserve the natural beauty of our City.