Overview of Monday's Palestine City Council meeting

Pennylynn Webb, Palestine Herald-Press, Texas
·2 min read

May 11—The first regularly scheduled bi-monthly meeting of the Palestine City Council was called to order at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 10.

For the first order of business, Steve Presley nominated Council Member Larissa Loveless, District 1, for Mayor Pro-Tem. Motion passed unanimously.

There were no conflict of interest disclosures and no public comments.

For the Mayor's report Steve Presley said COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise again locally. Presley asked people to continue to utilize safe practices, like wearing masks.

In items from the council, Loveless spoke about the big Ag Mech show Palestine High School is hosting starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 14 at the Civic Center. She asked everyone to go out and support our students and contest participants from area schools.

Council Member District 5 Dana Goolsby shared that May is National Historic Preservation Month and Mt. Vernon AME Church, 913 Calhoun St in Palestine, is hosting a "This Place Matters" event outdoors with food, fun, games and photo booths from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on May 15, encouraging people to go and support the ongoing work to preserve this historical church building.

Council Member Justin K. Florence, District 6, reiterated what Loveless said, encouraging people to support our students and the other participants in the big Ag Mech show hosted by PHS.

For the City Manager's Report, Teressa Herrera said the warrant forgiveness campaign in April had been very successful and thanked the staff for a job well done.

The council approved the consent agenda items, including meeting minutes, the 2021 swimming pool schedule for Steven Bennet Aquatic Center, seeking of bids for a new centrifuge for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, a revised agreement with Etex Communications, a Xerox lease agreement and the awarding of a bid for depository services with Prosperity Bank for Andy Sibai the Interim Finance Director.

During regular agenda items, the council approved:

—an application to the Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds in the amount of $6,000 by Topview Sports for an annual bike race;

—a proposed Mural Arts Program;

—and a janitorial service agreement with L&M Cleaning Service.

The council went into Closed Session to discuss personnel maters and the deliberation regarding the Palestine Mall real property.

When they reconvened at 6:59 p.m., Goolsby made a motion to approve the sixth amendment to the purchase and sale agreement between the city and Palestine Economic Development Corporation and the sixth amendment between the Christian Company and PEDC and to authorize the mayor and PEDC President to sign those documents and execute the agreement. The motion was approved unanimously.

With no further business, the meeting adjourned.