Houghton City Council: Survey Results & Pay Raises

The results are in concerning the Houghton City Citizen’s Survey. At a meeting last night, the city council was presented with the responses by residents who filled out and returned one of the 1400 surveys sent out in September. The survey was the first step of the Planning Commission’s community involvement effort to put together a Master Plan for the city of Houghton.

So, what do people living in the city think of their town? On the perceived quality of Public Safety, those answering with Satisfied or Very Satisfied totaled 90 percent. Other results included Residential Environment at 80 percent, Public Transportation at 70 percent, and Entertainment-Leisure-and Culture at 90 percent. In the category of Public Transportation, the responses showed people in the city want better roadways, sidewalks, and bike paths.

City Manager Scott MacInnis said he’s pleased with the results but also knows that there is a lot of work to do. Houghton City Manager Scott MacInnis will serve in his current position for at least the next three years. The Council approved the contract extension for MacInnis last night. Houghton Mayor Robert Backon praised MacInnis for the work he has done since being named City Manager. MacInnis’s original contract was for five years and was set to expire at the end of this year.

In other action at the board meeting, the city council voted to give a 2 percent raise to all union and non-union employees. City employees did not receive a raise last year. The pay increase begins on January 2nd, 2012.