HOUGHTON — The Houghton City Council meeting was held on Wednesday to disclose reports and pass a few resolutions. While the city is busy with snow removal and sand placement, City Manager Eric Waara said he and others working for the city have already begun discussions on springtime projects. These projects that are being formed include improvements at Bridge View Park. Waara said that he and public works would like to be prepared to begin springtime projects as soon as the winter ends.

The Houghton Police Department reported 210 calls for service and that two misdemeanor arrests were made, seven simple infractions committed, five city tickets issued and 31 vehicle accidents that were mostly related to inclement weather.

The police department wanted to remind citizens that when driving in the winter that they should leave earlier than usual to allow extra time to get to their destinations.

The council then approved changes to rules of procedure via Resolution 2024-1955, and then approved Resolution 2024-1956 which was a decision on the Public Act 152. This decision revolved around employee’s health insurance which had three different options.

The first option was a hard caps option which caps the amount the city will pay, the next was the 80/20 option which has the city pay 80% with 20% on the employee to pay and then the exemption option which was described as a hybrid between the two others.

he city has historically taken the third option and has chosen to continue with this option.

The board then approved the Resolution 2024-1957 Rural Development Pay Application which was related to the College Avenue Project.

A bill from the U.P. Engineers and Architects for was run for $884.

The meeting then returned to Waara who went over the topic of a well for the city. However there were items that were not originally included in the proposal back when it was first approved in April with other changes. When before an eight hour test on a pump would suffice, EGLE now requires a 72-hour pump test in a known well field. The initial cost before the additions was $143,580, and now with additions the estimated cost is $257,308.08 which does not include the cost to run the pump for 72 hours. The cost of the test run is estimated to be under $40,000.

We have to simulate the conditions as if that well was in full production over 72 hours, which provides a lot of data to inform EGLE and the engineers as to how everything down there is going to perform,” Waara said. “That 72-hour pump test provide loads of data for people to know exactly how everything is going to work with this well on as well.”

Wara also explained other expenditures on the well.

“We had an intent that we were going to use our own forces to install the pipe to get the water into the water plant,” he said. “Well this time of the year we’re plowing. We can’t do it, so we’re gonna have to pay somebody to do it.”

The board approved to pay for the well’s new costs. Afterwards the board approved to take on another member for the fire department and dispose of a 2014 Ford Taurus from the Police Department.