Council approves $200 for fire department open house, votes to honor Lowell McLaughlin

The Newcross City Council approved a $200 donation to the Fire Department to support its annual Fire Prevention Week open house and voted to present a proclamation recognizing Lowell McLaughlin. Council allocated the $200 to buy refreshments and support the department’s public‑facing activities at the open house, scheduled for the coming Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The motion to donate $200 passed on a recorded roll call; all council members present voted yes. Council also approved a motion to prepare and present a proclamation honoring Lowell McLaughlin; the council directed staff to draft the proclamation and bring it forward for presentation at a regular meeting so all council members could attend. The open house will include demonstrations for children, raffles donated by local businesses, vehicle displays and an auto‑extrication demonstration. The Fire Department also plans to use its training room to show training videos and a rebuilt child‑sized fire demo house used for educational activities. The approval is a formal expenditure of council discretionary funds for community outreach and was passed as a single recorded motion at the meeting.