DENISON, Tex. -- When searching for a new place to live, the look of the neighborhood is probably a factor, and in Denison, Mayor Robert Brady is concerned about his city's appearance. Stephanie Brletic has the story.

Mayor Brady says helping to revitalize Denison is a big priority because some areas of are in very bad condition, full of litter and dilapidated buildings.

Brady says he has been working with city employees to brainstorm ways to clean up the city, coming up with things like ‘3-Men-In-A-Truck,’ a litter pickup program, and affordable housing programs.

The mayor says one problem is litter. There are several areas that people have been using as makeshift dump sites for years, and Brady says cleaning up those areas is going to cost at least $10,000.

To get rid Denison of unsightly structures, Brady plans to increase demolitions from 30 to 50 a year. He worries that if the city doesn't change its appearance, no one is going to be interested in moving to Denison.

"You know, sometimes you don't even know someone's looking at you to relocate here. They just drive around your community and if they see a community that doesn't have enough pride in itself to clean itself up, then they're likely to go either north, south, east or west," Brady says.

Brady says one way citizens can help out is by simply keeping their own property clean. He says that would help the city reach its goals, and of course, the mayor says he is always looking for good suggestions and volunteers.

"We're really trying to get the public involved. That's where it's going to happen. People have to have pride in their community and they have to keep their own property clean. If we could just get that accomplished, that would go a long way in taking care of the issues that we have," Brady says.