At Monday’s meeting of the Katy City council, members voted unanimously to call for the Saturday, May 5th election to elect council members from both Ward A and Ward B. The city is executing a joint election agreement and contract with Katy Independent School District to conduct the election. As previously reported in the Katy Times, the city and the school district have joined together to conduct elections. At the January 22nd meeting of the Katy ISD Board of Trustees, Katy ISD general counsel Justin Graham said that in 2023, the City of Katy paid the district $25,000.00 to administer the city elections but that the figure represented a cost savings to taxpayers.

Incumbents Dan Smith (elected to Ward A in 2021) and Gina Hicks (elected to Ward B in 2021) have both filed for re-election; the deadline for filing is Friday, February 16th, with February 21st as the deadline for write-in candidates, according to the City of Katy’s city secretary office. As of press time on February 13th, no other candidates had filed to run in this election.

Council also authorized new equipment for the Katy Police Department, consisting of four mobile fingerprinting devices purchased at a cost of $9,000.00 and the revision of a previous lease agreement in order to provide for five additional cameras for the department’s license plate reader program. The new camera lease agreement, authorized for $104,550.00, voids the previously approved lease for 35 cameras which was approved on January 22, 2024. KPD Chief Noe Diaz said that the five new locations would include Woods Road, Pitts Road near Morton Road, Katy Hockley Cut Off Road, Katy Hockley Road and on Katy-Flewellen Road near Katy Mills Mall. Diaz also said that through partnerships with local businesses and others, KPD has access to between 35 and 40 additional cameras. Installation of the cameras is already paying off, he said, with uses in addition to fighting crime. By using one of the cameras, the department was quickly able to answer a question about traffic counts going west on Pitts Road from Avenue D to FM 2855 – placing the number at about 65,000 cards in a week’s time.

Council approved a number of resolutions supporting infrastructure projects, including:

· Authorization for the mayor to sign a resolution authorizing the issuance of unlimited tax road bonds to MUD No. 199.

· Authorization for the mayor to approve a proposal with ARKK Engineering for design and construction of asphalt street improvements to 10th Street, 13th Street, and First Street.

· Authorization for ARKK Engineering to perform waterline replacement in Pine Terrace, Phase 1; drainage improvements along 3rd Street; and sewer rehabilitation.

· Repair of a motor in a water well at City Water Plant No. 5.

In other action, a vendor agreement for the purchase and installation of playground equipment at Woodsland Park, 443 Danover, was also approved. Annexation of 189.454 acres of land in Harris County situated in the H. &T. C. R. R. Co. Survey into the City of Katy was also approved.

Via consent agenda, council approved the following by a 5-0 vote:

· Approved use of hotel occupancy tax funds for the Houston MG Car Club’s North American MGB Annual Car Show and Conference at Katy Mills Mall, April 21-25, 2024; for festival production services for the 2024 Katy Rice Harvest Festival, October 11-13, 2024; and $100,000.00 for an upgrade to the HVAC system at the Johnny Nelson Museum.

· Street closures for upcoming events: Katy Elementary School Carnival, February 23, 2024; and the 2024 Run for Hope, April 6, 2024.

Council member reports focused on the current week’s FFA Rodeo, parade and related activities.

Mayor Dusty Thiele announced that City Hall will be closed February 19th in observance of President’s Day.

The next meeting of City Council will be February 26th at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 901 Avenue C in Katy.