Council committees approve hires, payments and alcohol code changes; multiple items move to full council

Several Crowley City Council committees took formal action during the meeting, moving a set of staffing, payment and ordinance items forward for council or completing administrative approvals.

Key outcomes at a glance

- Revenue and Finance approved funding for one full‑time street department position, $50,051.12 (wages and fringe). The item had been raised in the street department report and initially recommended by the Public Works committee.

- Revenue and Finance approved hiring a part‑time code enforcement position after a referral from the Community/Public Safety committee. City staff brought a proposal that included startup equipment and an estimated first‑year package; the inspector requested an upfront investment for a vehicle, trailer and mower and estimated continuing personnel costs.

- Public Buildings approved partial payment No. 10 for the parks and pavilion project: $350,354.59 to Prestigious Contract Group.

- Public Safety approved amendments to Chapter 3 (Alcoholic Beverages) and recommended those amendments to the full council. The changes in committee form would raise the minimum age to consume alcohol in certain establishments to 21 and prohibit on‑site consumption between 2:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.; committee members discussed possible exceptions for under‑21 employees or admission and said they would consider targeted amendments before final council action.

- The Public Safety committee approved 2026 renewals and new applications for beer and liquor licenses (including Crawfish Nest; Swap 1 Enterprises LLC; Raceway 0754; and Gaddy’s Pizza among those listed in the packet). Alderman Reggie recused himself from that vote.

- Public Buildings approved a request from the Knights of Saint Peter Clavin auxiliary to use the Rice Festival Building on Feb. 14 and moved to waive the rental fee for that nonprofit event.

Why it matters: the items affect city services, budgets and the local business environment. The street hire and code‑enforcement actions change near‑term labor costs for the city; the parks payment moves a capital project toward completion; alcohol‑code changes and license renewals affect local businesses and nightlife hours.

Selected details and next steps

Street department hire — $50,051.12 Revenue and Finance recorded approval of an appropriation to fund a full‑time street department position. Committee discussion cited a clerical error in the budget and a request to restore a position that had been omitted during final adjustments. The committee recorded the dollar breakdown presented for wages and fringe when discussing the item.

Code enforcement part‑time position The city inspector outlined a proposal to hire a part‑time code enforcement employee focused on blight, tall grass, trash and abandoned vehicles. The proposal included a one‑time equipment and vehicle package (vehicle ~$30,000; trailer ~$2,800; mower ~$8,400; tools and iPad) and an estimated top‑end part‑time salary of about $25,000 annually; the inspector said the initial package would be about $68,500 including equipment. The committee referred the proposal to Revenue and Finance and the revenue committee approved the hire.

Parks and pavilion payment Public Buildings approved partial payment No. 10 for the parks and pavilion contract to Prestigious Contract Group in the amount of $350,354.59.

Alcohol ordinance changes and licenses Public Safety approved amendments to Chapter 3 of the city code related to alcoholic beverages and recommended them to the full council. Committee members discussed how amendments would affect under‑21 employment and access to establishments; one committee member advised revising language to allow employment or non‑consumption admission for 18‑ and 19‑year‑olds. The committee also approved routine renewals and applications for local beer and liquor permits; one member recused on the renewals vote.

Other The committee granted a fee waiver for a nonprofit event at the Rice Festival Building and had multiple reports from police and fire chiefs and department directors; the police chief told the committee about planned extra patrols around the Rice Festival grounds and that surveillance cameras assisted a recent series of burglary arrests.

Most committee approvals move to the full council for final action where required by ordinance or where the items involve budget appropriation.