Parcel split, collective bargaining agreements, thanking Rachel Lankton, upcoming public hearing
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Houghton City Council, June 23, 2021
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Meeting Highlights
During City Manager Eric Waara’s report, he covered ongoing construction and beautification projects in the city, an update on pier funding, and possible futures for the city center building.
During the Police Chief’s report, he gave an update on calls and accidents, officer training, and the department’s work toward upgrading their body mics and in-car cameras.
Among other things under “New Business” on the agenda, the board approved a parcel split of “Lot D” of the proposed future development along Canal Road.
They also voted to approve new collective bargaining agreements with the Department of Public Works and police unions, as well as an updated agreement for non-union and non-contract employees.
The board also reviewed the Personnel Committee’s review of Waara’s performance. He got a raise.
The council also scheduled a public hearing for a rezoning ordinance for parcels of land along Canal Road near the mouth of Coles Creek for their next meeting, July 14.
And finally, they honored former Councilor Rachel Langkton with a round of applause and cake to go around.
Houghton City Council tentatively approves triathlon proposal
Houghton City Council regular meeting, June 9, 2021
The full video of the council meeting is below, as well as a link to the agenda and information packet. A brief description of the meeting with links to bookmarked parts of the video is also included.
The Houghton City Council gave tentative approval to a triathlon honoring Verna Mize that was proposed during the public comment section.
Public hearings for the annual budget and capital improvement plan were mostly uneventful.
City Manager Eric Waara’s report to the council included updates about ongoing projects in the Public Works Department (they’re busy), ongoing construction in the city (it’s going to be a while), the flags in Veteran’s Park (they’re fine), the miner statue’s restoration (it’s back!), and more. As usual, he concluded with 10 good things in the city.
Police Chief John Donnelly reported on local police activity. He said the arrest and citation numbers were getting back to what they were before the pandemic.
The items under ‘New Business’ were all approved, including matching funds for new fire department equipment.
During the councilors closing comments, Councilor Mike Needham asked for an update on the pier construction project. It’s moving forward, but the timeline is getting tight.
Houghton City Council selects participants for pre-charrette workshop
Just a couple of noteworthy things in the last Houghton City Council Meeting; incremental movements in ongoing issues.
I was able to boost and scrub the audio from the botched recording. I found my error and it shouldn’t happen again, but I apologize for the delay and the below-par sound quality. It’s not up to standards, I’ll do better.
City Manager’s Report - City Manager Eric Waara gives the council an update on the recent and upcoming goings-on in the city. It starts at about the 8-minute mark. He typically includes ‘10 good things’ toward the end, which is kind of nice, too.
Pre-Charrette Workshop Participants - The council selected who among themselves and who from the members of the public that applied will participate in the upcoming workshop moving toward creating an inclusive process for development in Houghton. The discussion and vote start at about the 31:30 mark.
Rules of Order Discussion - An ongoing discussion about altering the council’s rules of order was continued with a brief subcommittee report and request for more information. The discussion starts just before the 34-minute mark.