Lawsuits filed against the city, low-income block grants and a special-use permit request were on the regular agenda for this week’s Missouri City City Council meeting. See what highlights came out of Monday’s council meeting: Additional legal funds approved for Creekmont HOA lawsuit City Council approved an additional $50,000 for legal services to battle two lawsuits filed in January against the city over a zoning issue. According to meeting documents, the money was needed because the existing $8,000 in budgeted legal services for firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP was deemed insufficient. Missouri City faced lawsuits from residents in the Newpoint Estates and Creekmont subdivisions over a controversial vote by the council to zone a 95.31-acre property, known as the Briggs Tract, to build a 278-unit residential subdivision. Community Impact Newspaper previously reported that the suit filed by Newpoint Estates residents in January was withdrawn but the Creekmont case is still pending, and according to meeting documents the Newpoint Estates case could be resubmitted. Meeting documents said the city already spent $44,712.25 for legal expenses in the cases. Cory Stottlemyer, Missouri City media relations specialist, said the $50,000 approved Monday would come from the city’s non-departmental outreach account in the general fund budget. Other highlights:

  1. Community Development Block Grants approved for fiscal year 2016-17
Missouri City is anticipating $281,265 in Community Development Block Grant funding in FY 2016-17. The program is funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support development projects in low- and middle-income communities.  Approved grant recipients include Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Missouri City educational scholarships, ACHIEVE Fort Bend, a city code enforcement officer to address targeted areas, administration and housing rehabilitation. Missouri City previously declared April 17-22 “Community Development Block Grant Week” in opposition to the program’s proposed elimination in the federal budget.
  1. Special use permit for groundwater plant moves forward
The council held a public hearing and also approved on the first of two readings a special use permit for the Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 2 to build a public groundwater plant. The facility requires 5.28 acres of Missouri City land located along Scanlin Road, north of the Quail Green West and Hunters Green subdivisions, west of the Parkway Trails subdivision, and southeast of the Stafford and Missouri City boundary.
  1. Resident criticizes code enforcement measures
Quail Valley resident Noel Pinnock spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting to criticize the city’s code enforcement efforts, which Missouri City resolved to tighten last summer. Pinnock said he and his neighbors have been unfairly summoned to court for improperly concealing trash cans while his homeowners association restricts the concealment methods they might use.