MUD 18 Newsletter
January – March 2025

Best Trash One-Year Anniversary

One year ago, we switched Bentwater’s trash company from Waste Management to Best Trash.  Here is an update on why we switched and how things are going.

At the end of 2023, Waste Management informed us of proposed changes to our contract that we found unacceptable. Because they were switching to an automated pickup, both trash and recycle would have to be in their 96-gallon containers.  Also, we would have been reduced to one trash pickup, one recycle pickup, and one heavy trash pickup per week.  If trash and recycle were not in their bins, they would not be picked up because there was just one employee on the truck – the driver.

The MUD board felt this did not meet the needs of most residents of Bentwater, so we searched for a new provider.  Best Trash gave us a proposal that we felt would work well for our community and would actually be less expensive. We would get two trash pickups and one recycle pickup per week, plus two heavy trash pickups per week.  Both providers required that our new contract include an annual escalation factor based on the relevant CPI index.

Once the provider transition was complete and residents learned the new schedule and procedures, things have been running smoothly. Baring major weather events and normal holiday schedules, trash and recycle have been picked up on a regular basis with no disruptions.  Please remember that when a holiday falls on a regular pickup day, the company will not pick up until the next regularly scheduled pickup day.  The holidays are Christmas, New Year’s, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving.  Also, please note that if a storm disaster is declared, Best Trash will not pick up storm debris.

In review, Bentwater’s garbage and heavy trash pickups are on Monday and Thursday, while recycle is picked up on Mondays.  If you bag your recycle items, they must be in a clear plastic bag so the items are visible to the crew.  Otherwise, they might mistake the bag for trash and not pick it up.  If you fill up your recycle bin, extra items can be placed next to the Best Trash bin in carts not over 50 gallons, or bags or boxes weighing no more than 40 pounds.  If the garbage bin is full, an extra cart not over 50 gallons or bags weighing 40 pounds or less can be placed next to it.  It is suggested that the trash and recycle bins be placed on opposite sides of your driveway, when possible, to avoid confusion.  Best Trash begins servicing our neighborhood at 7:00 a.m., so containers must be at the curb by then.

If you have issues with garbage or recycle, the suggested method of communication is to go to the Best Trash website https://best-trash.com/contacts/ and scroll to the bottom of the page to the contact form where you can report missed pick-ups or report damage to your cart.  Best Trash will repair or replace your cart at their discretion.

For detailed information about water, sewer and trash service, please go to the MUD website at https://www.mcmud18.com/

The MUD board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 9:30 a.m. at the country club and are open to the public.

Sign Up for Online eStatements and Bill Pay

Signing up is easy!  There are two ways to do this – online or by calling First Billing.

To sign up, follow these steps:

• You will need your account number from a recent statement.
• Go to https://haysnorth.firstbilling.com to the First Billing site, or call (855) 270-3592.
• Click on “create new account.”
• Your account number will be a 15-digit number in this exact format: 19908-0123456789.  Everyone in MUD8 has the same first 5 digits (19908), then a dash, then your old 10-digit account number with no dashes. The statement you receive in May will have the new 15 digit account number.
• Enter your zip code and email information.  Create a user name and password, then confirm your password. You will get an email back which you will need to click on to confirm your email.
• Sign-in. You can then register for eStatements, pay a bill, set up auto pay, etc.
• We encourage everyone to sign-up for eStatements so you can get your statements anytime from anywhere. This is free. You will get an email each month when your statement is available. You can also review all of the other bill pay (auto bill pay) options.
• If you are currently having Hays debit your bank account automatically, this will not change. You do not need to sign up for a new bill pay method. But we would still appreciate it if you would sign up for eStatements.

If you have any other questions about service or billing, please contact the district operator:
Hays Utility North Corporation
Billing address: P.O. Box 1170, Montgomery, Texas 77356
Physical address: 375 Lake Meadows Dr, Montgomery, Texas 77316
Phone: (936) 588-1166

Your MUD Board:

Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
John Crystal, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
Terry Gent, Assistant Secretary

With the latest snow forecast for Tuesday, Best Trash will be closed for regular operations tomorrow.

Please see the revised schedule below for the tentative schedule for the rest of the week.

• Monday:    We will run a regular service day.
• Tuesday:    Closed.
• Wednesday: Delayed start.
• Thursday:   Delayed start.

Note: If the landfills close due to inclement weather, we cannot run our routes on those day(s).

The guidelines are subject to change depending on the actual weather conditions.

If we are unable to run our routes on your scheduled service day, your pick-up will be on the next scheduled service day.

If plants die due to the weather, they will be considered storm debris and handled accordingly.

We have been advised by Best Trash that they will continue to pick up trash and yard waste all day today. Their first priority was to pick up the smelly trash first since it had accumulated from the holiday and no pickup on Monday. They will then continue to pick up yard waste as per the rules on our website. As long as it is bagged or bundled or in containers, they will pick it up. They told us they will continue to collect even if it takes till 10 p.m. tonight. They have their supervisors out driving trucks and, if a truck from another subdivision is finished, they are sending it to Bentwater to help collect.

Please note Best Trash cannot pick up large branches or loose trimmings unless they are bagged or bundled.

Thank you.
Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary

MUD 18 Newsletter
July – September 2024

Holiday Schedule for Best Trash

Please note the holidays for Best Trash: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If Bentwater’s pick-up day falls on one of these holidays, Best Trash will resume service on the next scheduled pick-up day – not the next calendar day.  Also, heavy trash is picked up each trash day as long as the rules are followed.

Also, Best Trash rewards its crews for positive feedback from customers, so if you see an employee doing something extra or worth noting let us know so we can pass it on.  Let’s let our crew know we appreciate their good service.

Drainage Maintenance

Hays Utility has started its annual clean up and repair of the drainage easements maintained by MUD 18 in preparation for hurricane season.  Drainage issues can be confusing as to who is responsible for correcting them.  Sometimes it is the homeowner’s responsibility, sometimes the Country Club, or the POA, or MUD 18.  If you know of any issue, please contact Hays Utility at 936-588-1166 to report it.  They will check it out and get back to you with an answer.

In the same light, if you see a water leak running down the street, a leaky fire hydrant, or a red light on one of the sewer lift stations, let Hays Utility know day or night.  It is up to us to help conserve our water resources.

Website

Please bookmark the MUD website for information about water, sewer or trash questions.  There is a lot of helpful information on the website (https://www.mcmud18.com) with links to other sources.

Suggested Watering Guidelines for Your Property

Proper watering is critical to your lawn’s health and vigor. Deep and infrequent watering is the best practice. This means wetting the soil to a depth of 3-5 inches per irrigation. This equates to 1-1.25 inches of water per week, split over several days.  Your run times should be adjusted based on how dry your yard is. Winter watering should have run times 50% less than your summer run schedule.

Watering is most beneficial to your grass when done in the morning (3 a.m. to 8 a.m.) rather than afternoon or evening.  Avoid overnight watering. Early morning watering allows the leaf blades to dry and reduces the risk of disease.  Do not water every day or two. Frequent, short watering encourages shallow roots, unhealthy grass plants, and turf susceptible to drought and disease.

Let the turf determine watering frequency. Since heat, humidity and rainfall vary, it’s best to water at the first signs of stress, not on a predetermined schedule.  As a note, St. Augustine turf has poor drought tolerance and requires more irrigation to survive during our long hot summers.

Water newer plants 3-4 times per week for no more than 5 minutes.  Keep the ground around new trees and shrubs moist initially using a soaker hose or drip line but gradually back off after two weeks.

Recommended Lawn Watering Schedule

Here are some general lawn-watering guidelines and tips:

Irrigation Spray Head Averages

• Pop-up spray heads: 10-12 minutes, 3 times per week = 1”
• Rotary spray heads:  16-23 minutes, 3 times per week = 1”

Suggested Irrigation System Settings

Some irrigation timers have a seasonal adjustment setting that enables you to reduce or increase watering without changing zone settings.  Suggested settings for our area are as follows:

November, December, January and February = 0%
March              50%
April                 70%
May                 80%
June                90%
July/August   100%
September     70%
October           50%

Your MUD Board:

Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary