BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL CONTINUES COVID-19 DISASTER DECLARATION; MASKS STILL REQUIRED AT CITY FACILITIES

  

The City of Brenham will keep its COVID-19 disaster declaration in place, and will continue to require the wearing of masks inside city buildings.

The Brenham City Council at its meeting Thursday elected to continue with the city’s current mayoral declaration, only updating it to reflect the newest order from Governor Greg Abbott.

City Manager James Fisher said the city will still require masks to be worn in order to enter city facilities, citing a need to protect employees, who are also still required to wear masks inside.  He urged the public to continue following COVID-19 health protocols, saying while progress is being made, there is still a ways to go.

 

Washington County is requiring masks for inside the courthouse.  According to Carli Koehne, executive assistant to County Judge John Durrenberger, the mask mandate for the courthouse must remain in order to hold court.  Masks at all other county facilities, according to Koehne, are recommended but not mandated.

Providing data on the number of vaccinations at the Regional Vaccination subHUB at the Washington County Expo, Fisher said, as of Wednesday, approximately 23,552 people have gotten their initial vaccination, while 8,151 have received their second dose.

Fisher said the city has always referred to Abbott’s orders as the driving document for the city’s declarations, adding he believes the current declaration still suffices for what the city is trying to do as a community.

The declaration keeps the city eligible for any COVID-19 disaster funding that becomes available.  It also gives Fisher authority to initiate park closures in the event of a spike in cases.

Also in session today, the council:

• Met in executive session for utility competitive matters, discussing a gas sales contract between the city and WTG Gas Marketing, Inc. No action was taken.
• Held a workshop to hear the Brenham Police Department's 2020 annual and racial profiling reports.
• Accepted a bid from Loftin Equipment for $11,620 for the annual generator maintenance and inspection contract for various city facilities.
• Recognized City of Brenham Economic Development for receiving the Texas Economic Development Council's 2020 Economic Excellence Award.  Brenham Economic Development Director Susan Cates gave brief updates on a pair of economic development projects, saying Project Silver Crayon closed on their property on Monday.  She also announced that the Brenham/Washington County community is one of four still in the running to be selected as the site for Project Black Stamp out of 53 communities in total.
• Recognized City of Brenham Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Eckermann for recently being named the Washington County Chamber of Commerce's Woman of the Year for 2020.
• Approved a resolution for the awarding of grant administration and/or planning services to Public Management, Inc. for qualified projects for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Rural Texas through the Texas Department of Agriculture.
• Approved a resolution for the awarding of engineering/architecture/surveying services to Strand Associates, Inc. for qualified projects for the CDBG program.
• Approved an electronic payment processing agreement between the city and VeriCheck, Inc. for services related to the electronic payment and collection of Hotel Occupancy Taxes (HOT). In November, the city council approved an agreement with MuniREVS, Inc. for the collection of HOT payments through LodgingREVS, which offers compliance monitoring for hotels and short-term rentals.  VeriCheck will be the online portal in which hotels and B&B owners can make their HOT payments.