Members of the Houston City Council received updates Monday on several projects.
During the meeting at city hall, council members:
•Heard from Kayla Sloan, parks and recreation director, about the annual Saturday youth basketball program that draws teams and competition to the community. Two weekends of games were cancelled due to inclement weather and are being rescheduled.
•Approved its annual contract with the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce –– with some minor changes. Chamber Executive Director Angie Quinlan expects her board to discuss it Feb. 19.
•Approved a $200 donation for Houston Celebration for Life, which hosts post-graduation events for Houston High School seniors.
•Reviewed two flyers outlining an April 2 election to increase the city sales tax by one penny. The proceeds are earmarked for police, fire and parks and recreation. The council opted for one of the two and will make adjustments after city counselor Brad Eidson wondered if it advocated for the measure. Public bodies are prohibited from doing so.
•Authorized $300 for Armed Forces Appreciation Day that will be held 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. May 18 and includes a lunch for World War II to present veterans. Various activities are planned, ranging from a flag retirement service to information resources for veterans.
•Delayed amending the city employee manual with information pertaining to salaried employees. Currently, City Administrator Tona Bowen was the only employee who receives a set salary. Bowen said there had been talks to move the economic development and parks and recreation director position to set salaries. No action was taken.
•Reviewing a packet of building permits from various municipalities. The study will continue.
•Heard Bowen share a detailed report on city revenue and expenditures in January. Most were in line with forecasts. Revenue from electricity sales was down due to warmer weather, she reported.
•Learned that repairs were expected to begin this week on a recently purchased fire truck in Iowa that has mechanical issues. The council recently authorized up to $23,000 to fix it. A second inoperable truck is awaiting computer equipment to help diagnose the problem. The town has one truck that works.
Members adjourned into a closed session following the open session.