Navasota City Hall
Ongoing low oil prices are forcing the City of Navasota to tightening its belt. During last week’s Council session, City Manager Brad Stafford reported that so far, gas sales are down by $700,000 more than had earlier been predicted. And adding in other utilities drops, that number rolls up to around $800,000 so far.
To combat these low sales, Stafford went on, the city is putting a freeze on all hiring, has asked department heads to cut down on spending and is looking for any way to slash costs while maintaining services.
And the city manager added the city isn’t the only one hurting either, other big businesses around town, he added, have cut their workforces in half and don’t see an economic turnaround coming as of yet.
But it wasn’t all gloom at last Monday’s meeting. It was time once again for city staff to vote for the city’s quarterly excellence award, this time bestowing the honor on Rochel Jessie who’s been working for the city for more than two decades.