By George Slaughter Candidates for three Katy City Council seats shared their views in a Thursday evening online forum broadcast on Facebook. Katy voters will be selecting a Ward A council member, a Ward B council member, and a council member-at-large. Katy Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Matthew Ferraro moderated the forum and asked candidates to discuss their qualifications and priorities going forward. All three incumbents are seeking reelection. Ward A Council Member Janet Corte […]
katy city election
Katy City Candidate Forum Set for Thursday
By George Slaughter With election season back in full swing, Katy City Council candidates are again reaching out and soliciting support. One way they will do so is at a Thursday night online candidate forum. The forum, which is free, begins at 5:30 p.m. and will stream on the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. The forum is expected to last an hour and a half o’clock and all candidates seeking city office are […]
City to Receive COVID-19 Relief Fund Money
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Monday authorized Mayor Bill Hastings to sign the paperwork so the city can receive $838,805 in federal money for COVID-19 through the CARES Act passed earlier this year. The money is to cover city expenses related to COVID-19 that were not accounted for in the current city budget, and were incurred between March 1 and December 30 of last year, City Administrator Byron Hebert said in a memo […]
COVID-19 Issues Compel City to Postpone Election
By George Slaughter Citing public safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Katy City Council Monday voted unanimously to postpone the Katy city election until November 3. The vote came in response to a COVID-19-related proclamation issued by Gov. Greg Abbott last Wednesday. In that proclamation, Abbott gave cities with upcoming elections, such as Katy, the option of postponing those elections until November. Abbott said last week that he encourages postponement so the focus can […]
Council to Decide Monday Whether to Postpone City Election
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council will vote Monday whether to postpone the municipal elections to November 3, in response to a COVID-19-related proclamation issued by Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday. Under the law, elections are held on uniform dates, meaning that the city can hold its election on May 2 as originally scheduled, or November 3, which would coincide with the presidential election. “I strongly encourage local election officials to take advantage of these […]
Corte, Dowdle Draw Challengers in Upcoming City Election
By George Slaughter Katy Ward A Council Member Janet Corte and Ward B Council Member Durran Dowdle have drawn opponents for the May 2 Katy city election. Their colleague Chris Harris, the council member-at-large, drew no opponents. The deadline for filing for office was Friday afternoon. Early voting will be April 22-26, and April 28-29, in the Cypress Room at Katy Hall, 901 Avenue C. The election is May 2. The Ward A polling place […]
Hastings Elected Mayor; Stockdick Elected to Council
By George Slaughter Bill Hastings, the former Katy police chief, unseated Mayor Chuck Brawner in Saturday’s city election, polling 1,243 votes, or 60%, to Brawner’s 846 votes, or 40%. Hastings was appointed chief in 2009 and retired in January to run for mayor. This was his first run for political office. Hastings said he got very little sleep the last three days of the campaign, and joked if he could sleep late on Sunday—late being […]
City to Purchase New Aerial Ladder Fire Truck
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Monday night authorized up to $1.5 million in financing for the purchase of a new aerial ladder fire truck and related equipment for the Katy Fire Department. The new truck is expected within 10 months. Assistant Fire Chief Kenny Parker said the current unit, built in 2004, is now in the shop awaiting parts that had to be manufactured because the engine is an older model. Last year, […]