City Council Highlights

Olney City Council held their first meeting of the month on Monday, July 13. It was a regular meeting that began with the council hearing citizen comments, followed by hearing a presentation from Falls IT. Next up on the agenda was a presentation brought forth by SecureVision of America.

The council considered Airport farm lease bids before moving on to discuss a resolution concerning the cemetery maintenance. The council heard a TCEQ Dam Inspection Report after a resolution was passed concerning the lease bids. After hearing from TCEQ, the council discuss its monthly departmental reports as usual. The 2020-2021 budget workshop was then discussed followed by executive sessions and other city council matters that members wanted to discuss. Two days later on Wednesday, July 15, a special meeting was called by the council to introduce the new police chief.

As I reiterate from a previous story, James Birbeck plans to greatly approve things in Olney, wanting to set the tone immediately for what is to come. Birbeck will be moving to Olney shortly after working in Young County and Graham the past few years for Sherriff Babcock. Birbeck adds a level of familiarity to the police department that will make this transition even smoother. The council approved Birbeck as the next police chief and the community the council once again welcome him to Olney. The next city council meeting will be held on Monday, July 17.