The San Marcos City Council voted to approve the payment of more than $500,000 last month for its smart metering initiative, but not before a couple councilmembers asked in detail why the payment was necessary.

The San Marcos City Council agreed last week to use a federal program to buy two homes for availability to low-income buyers. In one case, the city paid $4,200 more than the asking price, outbidding a private buyer.

San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz discussed the Springtown Mall matter with citizens Saturday, when she said the city council is likely to consider some kind of $2.5 million city expenditure for the redevelopment of the largely vacated shopping center.

San Marcos officials plan to step up their water and electricity conservation efforts this year by giving more appliances and money to qualifying residents willing to swap out their less-efficient devices. In 2010, for the first time, the city will offer year-long electric appliance rebate and replacement programs.

San Marcos city officials are implementing a “selective” hiring freeze after this month’s sales tax allocation from the state came in 7.65 percent lower than in January 2009. The city received an allocation of $1,442,710.61, a drop of nearly $120,000 from an allocation of $1,562,260.84 12 months ago. This January marked the seventh straight month that the city’s sales tax allocation came in lower than in the same month a year earlier.

The phrase “flag a taxi” may now enter the lexicon of downtown San Marcos revelers, as it is now legal for cabs to patrol. This week, the San Marcos City Council unanimously revised the city code to allow taxicab patrolling, regulate driver and passenger conduct, set fares and city fees, and add provisions regulating pedicabs.

With two 5-2 votes Tuesday night, the San Marcos City Council approved employment agreements with police and firefighters worth $2.7 million during the next three years. The agreements will raise average salaries for the city’s 95 sworn police personnel by $19,400 at the end of three years, while 52 firefighters would be increased an average of $20,000 per year after three years.

The city’s approval of its first collectively bargained agreement with its police officers is on hold until next month. The San Marcos City Council voted unanimously at a special meeting Monday night to postpone action on the deal, which would set forth conditions of employment and increase police pay for its present roster of 95 officers by $1.8 million during the next three years.

After a “possible conflict of interest” led San Marcos city officials to turn over delinquent tax collections to Hays County this week, an identical conflict came into play for the city once the county accepted the job. As a result, delinquent tax collections both for the city and the county will be handled by a law firm that contracts with the father of Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Luanne Caraway (R-Kyle).

San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz spoke in favor of the city’s advertising aid for the outlet malls, among other programs, and asked for more community volunteerism in her State of the City speech Thursday night at the City of San Marcos Conference Center.