BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS EXTENDING LOCAL DISASTER DECLARATION

  

The Brenham City Council will consider extending the local disaster declaration pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic at its meeting Thursday.

The council will discuss the continuation of the mayoral declaration of a local disaster due to a public health emergency related to COVID-19.  The declaration, which was first issued in March and adheres to the provisions of the executive orders issued by Governor Greg Abbott, has been reviewed and amended several times due to changing circumstances.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the council will consider an ordinance on its first reading to temporarily modify the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) reporting and payment schedule.

In the agenda packet, City Manager James Fisher said COVID-19 is still negatively affecting local hoteliers, as many people are still not traveling for overnight stays.  City staff are requesting that the deadlines for filing monthly HOT reports and payments from December 2020 through March 2021 be modified and extended to help alleviate the negative economic impact of the pandemic on hoteliers.

The council will also hold a public hearing to discuss and possibly act upon a municipal services agreement with the owner of 5.15 acres of land at 1751 Highway 290 West, as well as an ordinance to annex the property into the city and provide it an industrial zoning classification.

In December, the Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission approved a request from River Eagle Real Estate, on behalf of Mike Hopkins Distributing, to assign industrial zoning for the property.  The company is asking the property be annexed and given industrial zoning so it matches the adjacent property and accommodates commercial expansion.

The council will meet Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Brenham City Hall.