Photo by Wanda Hanson
At their regular monthly council meeting on February 14, the Houston City Council chose to keep the assistant librarian salary as had been decided in November. Any adjustment to the wages will need to be made in advance of the next budget cycle.
Two individuals had been interviewed in the search for a Houston Nature Center assistant; one however withdrew from consideration and the other asked for $14.00 per hour rather than the offered $10.50. The council rejected that idea, following the same process as they had with the assistant librarian position. The position will remain vacant for the time being.
A full time and one part-time public works position will be advertised. PWD Randy Thesing reminded the council that it will take two to three years to get a new hire trained since some things are only done once a year. Applications for the positions will be taken with a deadline of March 3 and hiring at the March council meeting.
The summer rec director position had no applicants so the council agreed to contract with CEDA (Community and Economic Development Association) for help in scheduling and interviewing staff. Summer Rec will be conducting early April signups. The stipend to CEDA will be the same as the city would usually pay a director; Michelle Quinn and Emily Krage will be the “boots on the ground,” taking care of immediate needs of the program.
Prepping the old community center for sale
The old community center building at 109 West Maple, which is zoned commercial, will be advertised for sale on a sealed bid auction with rights reserved to refuse all offers. The building shares electrical service with the food shelf at this time and water service feeds through the food shelf. The food shelf has no water service and will not be sold.
The American Legion will be notified of the potential sale so they can remove their items stored there. The building may be sold as is and include everything in it.
City Administrator Michelle Quinn will bring back a tentative timeline of the sale for the council’s consideration at the March meeting. The city attorney has advised that the bids should be obtained first before any negotiations about what the building will be used for by the potential buyer.
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Matt Mohs of Bolton and Menk appeared before the council to request the Wapasha pay application #10 to be made. This application was for $237,715.11 with a retainage of $88,159.21 withheld for work completed.
Mohs reported that the sewer bypass had gone off “almost without a hitch.” The power change over to higher voltage was scheduled for February 15. The final clarification collector mechanism was installed; new pumps and grinder were installed in the lift station. The old emergency generator was removed and a new one was installed.
Other business
In other business the council:
•Scheduled the LBAE (local board of appeal and equalization) meeting for May 9 at 5:30 p.m.; this meeting provides an opportunity for homeowners to appeal the valuation of their property — not the taxes;
•Agreed to allow Lisa Skifton to have the storage shelves built by a high school class for Holidazzle items at the food shelf;
•Decided to get rid of old empty safes and move remaining city records from the food shelf building;
•Gave permission to residents at 213 Sheridan to have a sink and toilet installed in a new garage;
•Approved a $3,000 appropriation to support the chamber of commerce;
•Directed Quinn to get price proposals on signage for the new community center as well as the police department;
•Approved the purchase of a $4,200 back blade for the public works department.
The next Houston City Council meeting will be held March 14, at 6 p.m. at city hall. The public is welcome to attend.
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