The Preston City Council took several formal actions at its Oct. 14 meeting. Items below are short summaries of each vote and next steps.

Votes at a glance

- Honorary police officer program — approved. The council approved an honorary police officer program intended primarily for children with disabilities or special needs; staff said the program would be limited to one recipient per year and include a ceremonial swearing‑in and a plaque/badge. Outcome: approved (motion made and seconded; vote recorded as unanimous).

- New patrol position and COPS grant — approved authorization to advertise and recruit. Council authorized the police department to advertise and hire a budgeted additional patrol position. Staff announced the department received a three‑year COPS grant award of $125,000 to support salary/benefits over three years. Outcome: approved (motion seconded; vote recorded as unanimous).

- National Long‑Term Care Residents Rights Month proclamation — approved. Mayor Daniel M. Keller signed a proclamation declaring October 2025 as National Long Term Care Residents Rights Month in Preston. Outcome: approved unanimously.

- Larson Sand Library donation request ($10,000) — denied. The library requested $10,000 in city support plus waiver of fees; council debated whether city funds should be used to match a taxing district’s project and ultimately voted not to approve the donation. Outcome: motion to deny donation carried (vote recorded as majority; motion approved).

- Cloud Permit software services agreement — approved. Council approved a cloud permit software services agreement to replace the city’s existing iWork permitting software, citing improved integration with payments and permitting. Staff said first‑year implementation fees apply, then an annual maintenance fee. Outcome: approved (motion seconded; vote recorded as unanimous).

- Fire suppression connection fee — tabled. After a lengthy debate about proportionality and potential effects on redevelopment, council voted 3‑1 to table further action and directed Keller & Associates to provide an updated fee calculation for council consideration in the fee resolution review. Outcome: tabled.

- Water storage tank — approved. Council approved selecting a 2,000,000‑gallon water storage tank (see separate article). Outcome: approved.

- Archery building lease — commitment to 10‑year extension. Council committed to a 10‑year extension at maturity, subject to negotiating terms and returning an amended agreement for approval (see separate article). Outcome: commitment approved.

How votes were recorded and next steps

Several items were routine and passed with unanimous voice votes. For items that were tabled or that required follow up, staff were directed to obtain updated engineering/memo reports (fire suppression fees, connection‑fee schedule) or to return with detailed lease terms (archery building). The cloud permit software and the police personnel advertising were authorized so staff can proceed with implementation and hiring.

Selected details and staff notes

- Police staffing/COPS grant: Lieutenant Royer reported that the department had been awarded $125,000 over three years to help fund the new position; council authorized immediate advertisement for the position.

- Cloud Permit: Planning/Development staff reported the system will replace iWork, better integrate payments and reduce duplicate data handling; staff described an implementation timeline with an overlap period to transition data.

- Library request: Council discussed whether the city should donate to a separate taxing district and whether waiving fees would be a better option than an outright cash donation; the motion to deny the $10,000 donation carried.

Items requiring council follow up include: an updated fee schedule based on Keller & Associates’ recalculation (fire‑suppression/connection fees) and negotiated lease terms for the archery building due prior to the lease extension taking effect.