Conroe City Council met Wednesday for its workshop meeting and again on Thursday morning for its action agenda meeting. Council members approved a number of initiatives during Thursday's meeting.

  1. Council members approved funding changes for the safety improvement project on Hwy. 105 between I-45 and Hwy. 75. The city will spend an additional $328,000 to install a duct bank along Hwy. 105 during the project after receiving a report that sub-contractor Third Coast Services had overlooked the duct bank installation in the construction plans. This issue necessitated a change order to add an additional $330,000 to complete the project according to plan, said Scott Taylor, Conroe's director of infrastructure services. The project costs about $3.5 million in total and is scheduled for completion in early 2018.

  2. City Council deferred a resolution that would extend the boundaries of Municipal Utility District No. 1 to incorporate an additional 5.9 acres of land into the district. Council members expressed concern about additional taxation on potential residents of the land. Several council members voiced disapproval of the resolution during the workshop meeting, however the agenda item will be discussed further during the next city council meeting.

  3. Council members approved a resolution that establishes a policy for city staff to follow when reporting unexpected major events to city council members.

  4. City Council approved an ordinance that splits the engineering division of the Public Works Department from the Engineering Department. Council also appointed Norman McGuire as director of the new Public Works Department.

  5. During public comment portions of the meeting, Conroe residents voiced opposition to construction of a new immigration detention center in Conroe by Geo Group—a private for-profit prison company. The group operates the existing Joe Corley Detention Facility in Conroe. The new detention facility costs $110 million is expected to include 1,000 beds, according to a press release by the company. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.