Katy’s city council met Monday, July 22, to conduct several public hearings on zoning changes and to approve additional steps for mobility improvements along Katy Hockley Road and the realignment of Pitts Road at Morton.

Public hearings were held on two zoning changes and there were no public speakers in either hearing. The first hearing amended the zoning map of the city, changing the zoning classification of about 65 acres of land in Waller County from residential (R1) to an “M” industrial district. The property is located at 1519 Woods Road in Brookshire; Igloo held a ribbon cutting for their new facility at that address on August 29, 2023.

Council also approved annexation of about 63 acres of land adjacent to the north city limits near Morton Road and Pitts Road, which is the site of Leyendecker landing. Through this action the city will assume maintenance for Pitts Road north of Morton, city officials said.

In a unanimous vote, council authorized the Katy Development Authority (KDA) to use up to $697,794 in Metro funds for the first phase of the Pitts Road realignment project which is slated for completion in January 2025. The intersection will be served by a four-way stop until the summer of 2026 when a traffic signal will be installed.

Metro funds up to $3,420,452.80 were authorized for use by KDA for the Katy Hockley Cut-off Road widening project which city engineer David Kaspar said is 75 per cent complete.

Then work can start on Katy Hockley Road, Kaspar said. Metro funds up to $12,794.22 will be used to purchase about 0.162 of one acre of land for right of way and another $13,212.00 in Metro funds will be used to accept an easement on the road. Both resolutions were passed unanimously.

In other action, council in 5-0 votes:

· Authorized the mayor to purchase three 2024 Chevrolet Tahoes and upfit kits from parkway Chevrolet for the Katy Police Department, funded through a capital improvement project.

· Authorized the mayor to sign benefit program applications changing the city’s employee insurance carriers for medical plan benefits from Cigna to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Eyemed and Delta Dental effective October 1. Councilmember Dan Smith asked if the city had considered a high deductible plan with access to a health savings account; a spokesperson for the vendor replied that those plans tend to lead to “care avoidance” and are usually more costly after the first year.

Council went into closed session to consult with an attorney and to consider a potential economic development negotiation. Although the closed session ended after about half an hour according to Councilmember Rory Robertson, no video was available of the remainder of the meeting and the

public hearing on the proposed amendment of the partnership agreement for Texas Heritage Parkway. Mayor Pro Tem told the Katy Times that the item passed with no discussion

The next meeting of the city council will be on August 12 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 901 Avenue C in Katy.