The City of Katy’s city council met on April 13 at City Hall in Katy, facing a standing-room only crowd as residents came out to express their opinions on three public hearings held that evening. Ward B Councilmember Gina Hicks was absent.

More than nine speakers addressed council during the public hearing on an amendment proposed to the “Katy Court” planned development on Morton Road west of Katy Hockley Cutoff, with all speakers opposed to the project. The amendment would add about 33 acres of land to the project. Speakers strongly objected to the expansion due to the proposed small lot sizes, potential noise and light pollution and the lack of infrastructure to handle additional traffic, which would also affect access and egress from existing neighborhoods. Heritage Park West HOA President Michael Meihls, who is also running for city council, called for measures to separate the commercial areas from existing homes through screening, masonry walls and other measures. Other residents expressed concerns about the loss of trees in the neighborhood and health issues caused by the construction. Calling the matter a “Ward B issue,” Councilmember Janet Corte “tagged” the agenda item, effectively moving it to the council meeting agenda for April 27 when both Ward B councilmembers would be present.

Following public hearings and speakers in support of a special use permit to allow a private Montessori school to operate in a commercial area at 1506 Avenue D, council voted unanimously to deny the permit, as recommended by the CPZ. Officials from the school made a presentation to council for the 24-student private school and said that they had cleared the project with the Katy Police Department. Chief of Police Bryon Woytek, who said that he had not spoken with officials from the school, said that he was not in favor of the project, which would add to traffic on Avenue D and, because of the proposed location in the Avenue D curve, would be a safety concern.

No public comments were expressed during the third public hearing, after which council unanimously approved a special use permit for Champions Chapel International to operate as a religious institution in a commercial business district, at 6193 Highway Blvd. in Katy. A different church had previously operated at that location, officials said.

Council also review plans for an agreement with JCT Landscape of Brookshire for amenity improvements to the 3B Learning Center in the amount of $315,722.24. Councilmember Paula Taylor said that her understanding was that the property was primarily to be used for appointment-only educational tours for school groups and asked if the center and its walking trail could be open to the public at least a couple of days a week. City Administrator Byron Hebert said that public access would be allowed on Saturdays by appointment for guided tours and that the tours are part of the design of the center. Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris said that the center should be open to the public. Councilmember Corte said that the plan shown was not what was originally envisioned when the city first bought the property, calling the plan “a little too manicured” and questioning how much use the center would get if primarily used for school tours. Corte asked Hebert if Katy ISD had contributed any money toward the project and

Hebert responded that Superintendent Ken Gregorski had given “his buy-in for that.” Corte recommended implementing the project in phases and putting more money toward Thomas Park instead, which would get more public usage. Corte tagged the item, deferring any action and discussion to the April 27 meeting..

In other action, council:

· Authorized the mayor to sign a professional services agreement and execute a comprehensive proposal with Ure Consulting Group for the City of Katy Fire Chief selection process. Dana Massey, who was appointed in January, now serves as interim fire chief for the department following the retirement of Chief Kennth Parker. She is the first female fire chief in Katy’s history.

· Via consent agenda, approved repairs to the city hall clock tower in the amount of $6,830.

· Cancelled the May 25, 2026, regular meeting of city council due to the Memorial Day holiday.

Among other public speakers at the meeting was Scoutmaster for Troop 320, Henri Barber, who spoke for the third time to council about the Ten Commandments monument that he said his troop has funded through private donations and which they wish to donate to the city to be erected at City Hall next to the flagpole. Barber said the donations came from the troop’s “Flags Across America” database of several hundred homes and would cover the cost of building, shipping and installing the monument at a value of over $18,000, and that no tax money from the city would be needed to install it. Design elements including quotes from the country’s founding fathers have been added to the monument, which along with the Ten Commandments, are the key elements of the proposed monument, Barber said. Barber said that he would work with city administration and new council members to ensure that the monument installation and celebratory ribbon cutting occurs on or before September 15. Scout Zach Hill, a 13-year-old member of Troop 320, also spoke on the matter during public comments. In addition to approximately 14 other Scouts in the audience, Barber was accompanied to the city council meeting by Clark Whitley, ministry relations development officer for Plano-based First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit which litigates in First Amendment cases on religion. Whitley did not speak at the meeting.

Mayor and council presented four proclamations at the meeting:

· Recognizing April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month and designating April 29 as “Denim Day” to commemorate the cause, read by Mayor Thiele. Representatives from Katy Christian Ministries, who were scheduled to accept the proclamation, did not attend.

· Recognizing April 2026 as Autism Acceptance Month, read by Councilmember Robertson and accepted by students and staff of Tays Junior High School.

· Recognizing April 12-18, 2026, as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, read by Mayor Pro Tem Harris.

· Recognizing April 22, 2026, as Administrative Professionals Day, read by Councilmember Taylor.

The next meeting of Katy’s city council will be April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 901 Avenue C in Katy.