Big Spring City Council appoints final members to Charter Committee

City Council members convened Tuesday evening to discuss the appointment of three additional members to the Charter Committee to represent Districts 4, 5, and 6 and a report from Medical Advisor Dr. Ahmed on COVID-19.

After taking a moment for public comment, Big Spring Fire Department Chief Craig Ferguson administered the Oath of Office to newly hired firefighter Chase Westbrook.

Then, Mayor Shannon Thomason administered the Oath of Office to former but newly re-hired City Manager Todd Darden, stating the item did not make it on the agenda at time of notice.

City Manager Todd Darden provided a report including the next Large Item Pickup. The next Large Item Pickup will take place on Dec. 16 for District 6 and residents are encouraged to call ahead in order to ensure they are not missed.

Darden also spoke on code enforcement staffing stating the city is currently down to no Code Officers, besides Darden himself and one other, and are only able to handle calls as they come in. According to Darden, the Reliever

Route's northern route is back up, however, there are still areas that need signage. Darden also noted that the current construction on FM 700 would not be completed until after the holidays. Regarding the Landfill, Darden stated that the final walkthrough took place last week and the city is looking to officially open the landfill possibly in April.

Medical Advisor Dr. Ahmed spoke on Howard County's current situation with COVID-19 stating Big Spring currently has 2, 200 cases of COVID-19 with 43 deaths. Dr. Ahmed also stated that with the governor's approval, vaccines for the State of Texas are intended to start distribution later this week and continue through the end of the year.

“With the second batch, this vaccine will be available to everyone and every citizen. According to the President today, by June, every citizen who wants to get the vaccine should be able to get the vaccine. So, until then, the only defense we have against this virus is… we have to wear a face covering and mask,” Ahmed said.

Dr. Ahmed encourages any