Council directs staff to keep downtown Christmas tree, asks staff to study event security costs after DHBA presentation

The Hutto City Council voted during its May 1 work session to direct staff to keep the city’s Christmas tree in downtown Hutto and to study the police/security policy and budget implications for events that require street closures.

The instruction follows a presentation by the Downtown Hutto Business Association (DHBA), which described recent events, fundraising and requests for city support. Gracie Matthews, representing the DHBA, told the council the group is ‘‘on track with all the timeline items that we’ve done’’ and asked for greater city coordination on events and funding.

Why it matters: Downtown businesses told the council that street shutdowns and event scheduling affect daily revenue and parking, and that the DHBA needs clearer lines of communication and possible city funding for police/security at events. Council members expressed a desire to keep the tree downtown and to receive clearer advance notice for major event changes.

What DHBA presented and requested The DHBA outlined two active committees—events…