Chamber licensing agreement up for discussion by council tonight

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

During the 5 p.m. workshop of the Copperas Cove city council today, the main focus on the agenda will be an ordinance passed by the city council in August 2015. 
The ordinance gave the city manager the authority to execute licensing agreements with the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce for its activities and required the chamber to pay the city for its actual costs of providing services for chamber events such as Rabbit Fest and Krist Kindl Markt, along with collecting as much as a 25 percent cut of proceeds from those events, as negotiated by the city manager. 
The workshop and meeting agenda items were called for by councilman Charlie Youngs at the January 2 meeting of the council. For the regular 6 p.m. council meeting which follows the workshop, the council have the opportunity to modify the ordinance or leave it as-is. The agenda also includes a proposed ordinance which would repeal the action taken by the council in 2015. 
Also at the 6 p.m. meeting, the council will hold the second public hearing and take action on a budget amendment for the 2017-2018 city budget. 
The council will select a mayor pro tem for the year, and also consider and take action on filling a vacancy on the Cemetery Advisory Board. It will also take action on the mayor’s recommendations for council member nominations for various city boards and committees. 
Two professional services agreements are up for approval tonight, that of an agreement with Lockwood, Andrews, and Newnam (LAN) Engineering for the design of the City Park sewer line Phase II improvements, which are already included in the city’s Capital Improvement Projects for fiscal year 2017; and also an agreement with Freese and Nichols, Inc. (FNI) for design of the Northeast Wastewater Treatment Plant ultraviolet disinfection system upgrade, which is included in both the city’s Capital Improvement Projects for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. 
Some personnel changes are on the agenda for tonight, where the city’s Solid Waste Department is concerned. The changes would include reclassifying several positions in that department and amend both the current fiscal year’s position listing, along with the Personnel Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2018-2022. 
The council will receive several reports this evening, to include a quarterly report on the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance (HOTDA); and update on economic development operations from interim EDC director Mark Marquez; and also updates to capital improvements projects such as the completion of digital water meter installation, the upcoming library renovations, Animal Control projects, parks improvements, transportation projects to include sidewalks and the Business 190 median, along with wastewater, sewer and drainage projects. 
The council is also scheduled to hold an executive session regarding the city manager. 
The meetings will be held at the city’s Technology Building, located at 508 S. 2nd St.