The Conroe City Council met on Aug. 9 for its regular workshop meeting and again on Aug. 10 to vote on a number of agenda items. Here are the highlights from the meetings:

  1. City council hosted a public hearing for its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18. The council has proposed a $182 million operating budget for fiscal year 2017-18. The budget represents an increase from the $161 million budget for FY 2016-17. City Council also proposed to keep the same 41.75-cent tax rate from FY 2016-17. Council will vote on the tax rate and budget at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 24 at city hall.

  2. Council approved a First Responder Organization affiliate agreement with the Montgomery County Hospital District. The agreement allows the Conroe Fire Department, an affiliate of the hospital district, to provide medical first response services in Conroe by satisfying a state requirement that an organization have a medical director on staff.

  3. City Council approved the proposed budget for the Montgomery County Emergency Communication District. Every year the district budget requires support from all cities and Montgomery County. This year the district is proposing to increase its budget by 5.2 percent, or about $215,000, for a new program to sponsor and train emergency call takers.

  4. During the Wednesday workshop meeting, Former Montgomery County Judge and state legislator Jimmie C. Edwards III asked City Council to consider contributing about $105,000 to a project to build a new veteran's war memorial in Conroe. Montgomery County has already agreed to contribute that same amount of funds from the FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 budgets, Edwards said. The proposal could be added to a city council meeting agenda for consideration at a future date, officials said. The existing veteran's memorial park will be decommissioned Nov. 12.