Center Point City Council honors life of its first president, amends budget
Billie Jean Cooper Davis was president when the city was incorporated in 2002; she died on July 6.
The Center Point City Council honored the life of its first president, Billie Jean Cooper Davis, during its regular meeting on Thursday night. At the same meeting, the council voted to accept an amended budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year to account for additional sales tax revenue.
Davis had been the first council president after the city was incorporated in 2002; she died on July 6. “She did a whole lot of groundwork to get this up and running,” said Councilor Linda Kennemur. “We would just like to show our appreciation tonight. She was a wonderful person. She did big things with the city and the church. She was a mover and a shaker.”
The council unanimously passed a resolution to honor Ms. Davis, and Mayor Thomas Henderson read a proclamation aloud to several family members present at the meeting.
“Billie was an inspiration to us all, and I know that she worked so hard when she became the first council president here also,” he said. “I think everybody that was on the council at that time — there’s only two of us left, Roger Barlow and myself — but she was a unanimous choice to be the council president. She did a great job.”
Amended Budget
The council then voted to accept the amended budget for the fiscal year 2017-2018. Henderson said that part of the amendment was additional money from sales tax.
“Primarily what we’re doing is to put in the additional $840,000 we expect to come in from the new sales tax that started in January,” he said. “And it’s $840,000 because the actual fiscal year starts in October, so we couldn’t start with taxes coming in until January. So it will be next year probably $1,400,000 when we add the other months to it. But for this amended budget, it’s $840,000.”
He said that another reason for its passing was so they could staff and renovate the Hilldale Baptist property, which the city is transforming into a recreation center and library slated to open this fall. Other funds are going to departments such as public works, as well as for a bond payment on a loan of $37,000 in August. Henderson said the budget would be viable until September.
A discussion on amending the contract with the Chamber of Commerce to include an economic development director position followed but was not acted upon. The possibility of creating that position for the city has been an ongoing subject for the council. Henderson said that there were “no solid” proposals so far for pay and benefits. He also talked about possibly starting a grant program to allow businesses on the parkway to invest in “refurbishing” the fronts of their buildings and that the city would match the money spent.
The next Center Point City Council meeting will be held on July 26, with pre-council at 6:45 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m.
