The City of Houston is launching a program that allows residents to report power outages and share information to electrical crews making repairs. The decision came Monday during a meeting of the Houston City Council.
The system gives residents clear updates when electrical outages occur and provides repair crews the tools to act quickly. Customers will file an outage report by phone rather than take resources away from city staff or Texas County 911, who answer the calls. Persons with special needs — such as oxygen in the home — will receive priority repair service.
With features such as a public-facing outage map, customer reporting without registration and automated responses, Hometown Grid empowers utilities to streamline communication and build trust during critical situations.
The members of the council’s utility committee recently heard from a representative of the firm, who outlined the service that is used by several surrounding municipalities. The group’s membership includes the town’s wholesale supplier of electricity.
The council authorized City Administrator Lloyd Wells to execute a contract that can be cancelled at any time. The cost is $2,000 for a one-time fee as well as $433 monthly and texting fees.
OTHER CITY COUNCIL MATTERS
•Heard praise for the city’s volunteer firefighters who respond at all hours, including from their work sites.
•Officially approved the city’s 2024 audit that was presented at an earlier meeting. It found no problems, and a Springfield firm offered a clean opinion.
•Learned that an inspection of Houston Memorial Airport hangars on Monday found each was occupied by an airplane except for one location that was used for storage. The city will work on any lease issues.
•Authorized another $15,780 from an earlier estimate for asphalt overlays in the city. The total outlay is $196,920. Work is to begin next week by a Lebanon company. A quarter-cent sales tax generates revenue for the annual program.