The Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce Building is seen in this photo taken Friday. The City of Houghton is working on the purchase of the building on Shelden Avenue. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Houghton City Council held a meeting on Feb. 26 with a report given by City Manager Eric Waara of an upcoming sale regarding the Chamber Office on Franklin Square. There was also a resolution which the council passed that expressed the council’s opposition to what they believe to be administrative overreach from President Trump.

Waara’s report regarding the sale went over the council entering an agreement with U.P. State Bank through Portage Land Company to purchase the site. A development agreement has to be worked out within the council which comes with conditions.

The conditions the council laid out were the purchasers needing to develop the property with a commercial building and a residential or mixed-use property. These conditions are a way for the city to effect the increase in available housing.

One of the buildings will be the new location for U.P. State Bank and there is a possibility that a third building could be constructed on the site as well.

Resolution 2025-1963 was passed in opposition to perceived overreach from the federal government. The resolution provided two examples of executive actions that impacted the community. It cited reductions in federal employment and rate change notices and indirect costs of research.

9,069 federal employees work in Michigan’s First Congressional District according to Congressional Research Service reports.

These jobs may be at risk due to the recent dismissals of federal employees.

The other example involved potential reduction of research funds in facilities such as Michigan Tech and how it can impact the Houghton community. The resolution passed with five votes. Councilor Mike Needham excluded himself from the vote due to being a federal employee and avoiding a conflict of interest and Councilor Jan Cole was absent. The resolution is available for the public to read on the city’s website.

Two appointments were made with Tim Scarlet being reappointed to the Library Board and Waara appointed to the KEDA board.

“The board is more of an oversight,” he said. “I worked with KEDA in the past so it will be nice to be part of that group and part of the discussions at that level.”

There was also a discharging of an ancient mortgage from a 1995 resolving loan fund for the Huron Square Building. Paperwork regarding the building was missing from 30 years ago, but the loan was paid off in 2000. The council authorized Mayor Robert Backon to sign off on this.