The Missouri City City Council voted at its Monday meeting to deposit city funds in Wells Fargo bank, to rename a city street, and to adopt standards for the installation of telecom equipment on city property.

Reps. Al Green, D-Houston, and Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, addressed the council at the request of a city resident, asking that city street names that refer to the Confederacy be changed. Green mentioned Confederate Court, located north of Trammel-Fresno Road in Sedona Creek as an example of an offensive street name.

“I’m asking that we start a process to change the names of these offensive streets,” Green said.

“If you think about the Confederacy and what it stood for, it was about maintaining slavery, and it was about white supremacy,” Reynolds said.

Council member Don Smith voiced his support for the idea, suggesting the city council discuss the idea at its next meeting. 

 

Sienna street renamed

Council members voted unanimously to change the name of Sienna Christus Drive to Sienna Crossing Drive. The short road connects Sienna Parkway to Hwy. 6, and was named after a hospital planned for the area.

“Sienna Crossing is what it was originally,” Mayor Allen Owen said. “And when Christus Hospital announced that they were going to build a hospital there, [the developer] named it Christus.”

The Sienna Christus street name was created in 2005, but the hospital was never built, said city spokesman Cory Stottlemyer.

 

Telecom equipment guidelines adopted

City council voted to approve the “City of Missouri City Wireless Services Design Manual,” which provides guidelines for wireless companies to follow during the installation of telecom equipment, in order to ensure that they adhere to city aesthetics and safety policies, according to meeting documents.

The manual was submitted for consideration during a previous special meeting held after the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1004, which allows wireless companies to install telecommunication equipment on municipal rights-of-way with limited restrictions from the city, according to meeting documents.

 

City money moved to Wells Fargo

City council members approved a resolution designating Wells Fargo Bank as the city depository, effective Oct. 1, according to meeting documents. The city solicited bids from potential banks in April, and staff recommended Wells Fargo be awarded the contract, according to meeting documents.

Owen recused himself from the vote, citing a conflict of interest. Owen worked for Wells Fargo for several years.