City Council

Continued from page 1 in Howe

Mayor Stanley made a recommendation to the city council that if TCOG (Texoma Council of Governments) Executive Director Susan Thomas is not removed from her position than the city should back away from the partnership with the organization Stanley and EDC Director Monte Walker each serve on boards of TCOG which could make things interesting should the City of Howe sever relations from TCOG As reported by the Herald Democrat and other news outlets, Thomas has been involved in actions and relations that have cost Grayson, Cooke, and Fannin County taxpayers nearly $1 million in a recent court settlement

The City of Howe approved an increase in employee benefits which bring the standards more in uniform with neighboring cities

The mayor stated that is increasingly difficult to keep good employees when other nearby cities have more pay and benefits to offer

"We are not in position to match pay, but we can help with benefits to be able to hire and retain employees - especially in the police department " said Stanley

The additional benefits include more sick days and added vacation for city employees with over 15 years of service

The motion was passed without any discussion which was not the case earlier in the year when thencouncil member Debbie Lowery voted to deny any added sick days for employees including officers that could become seriously injured in the line of duty