Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Houghton City Councilor Dan Salo listens to his resignation letter being read during Wednesday’s meeting. Salo, who has been on the council for 10 years, left because he will be living out of the area during the winter.

HOUGHTON — Houghton City Councilor Daniel Salo announced Wednesday he was stepping down due to becoming only a part-time resident of the city.

“It has been an honor to represent the people of Houghton,” he wrote in a letter to the council. “Thank you to all the people that voted and backed me during my 10 years on the council. I’m becoming a snowbird, which will make me a part-time resident, thus I will be stepping aside so that a full-time resident can fill the position. The City of Houghton is a great place to live. With Eric Waara and the great staff that he has behind him, the city will continue to be the pride of the Copper Country. I would also like to thank the councilors, Planning Commission members, police department, public works and the beautification group, and everyone else that works to make the city something that we can all be proud of.”

Council members said Salo will be missed.

“Sorry to see you go,” said Mayor Bob Backon. “You’ve done a tremendous job here.”

Police Chief John Donnelly also praised Salo.

“You’ve been wonderful,” he said. “You’ve been a big police supporter … the citizens are fortunate to have you.”

City Manager Eric Waara thanked Salo for having been a sounding board throughout his decade on the council.

“I think the city’s better off for your service,” he said.

Salo’s final day on the council will be Oct. 31. The city must fill the position within 30 days. With only one council meeting next month, the timeline is even shorter.

The city is accepting applications from interested residents until 4 p.m. Nov. 12.

Applications are available at cityofhoughton.com/open-council-position. They can be submitted by mail at P.O. Box 606, Houghton, MI 49931; by delivering it to the city office at 616 Shelden Ave.; or by e-mail to ann.vollrath@cityofhoughton.com.

To be eligible, residents must be 18 or older, a qualified voter, a continuous resident of the city for the prior 12 months, and not in default to the city.

Any applicants are asked to attend the next council meeting at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17.

Whoever is appointed will serve until the November 2022 election. If the council is unable to fill the vacancy, it would go to an election on the May ballot, again for a partial term ending November 2022.

In other action, the council:

— Approved the purchase of a police vehicle. The city received a $25,700 Rural Development grant towards the vehicle, leaving $21,272, which will come from the equipment fund.

“At one time, they did not have all-wheel drive vehicles that were police-graded,” Donnelly said. “Now they do, and they are affordable enough, so I appreciate that.”

— Scheduled an enforcement hearing for 915 College Ave for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17. The building had been gutted by a fire in March. The property owner did not show up to a previous show cause hearing, Waara said. If the property owner does not take action, Waara will recommend having the Department of Public Works demolish the building. The city would recoup some demolition costs through taxes on the property.

— Approved applying for a $75,000 Michigan State Housing and Development Authority grant for neighborhood enhancement. The city would pick a neighborhood and make up to $7,500 for homeowners to make improvements such as siding or a new roof. The city can apply for the grant annually. Waara said the city would likely start in west Houghton, where most of the older homes in town are located.

— Approved putting the city’s 2008 Polaris snowmobile out for bids. The police department had once done snowmobile patrol between the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and the Kestner Waterfront Park, but ended it due to lack of interest, Donnelly said.

— Approved applying for bulletproof vests. The police department is replacing 10 vests, which are good for five years, Donnelly said. The 50/50 grant requires a $4,400 city match, which comes from the police new equipment fund.

— Heard from Waara the city had conducted paver replacement on Shelden Avenue, the first wholesale work that had been needed on the street in 12 years. More pavers will be replaced next summer, he said.

— Heard from Waara the city’s paving work is complete for the year, as is this year’s portion of the College Avenue work. The city will also be updating its Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) survey, which rates the quality of the city’s roads on a 1-10 scale.

— Approved $49,622.78 in payments for water system improvements and $102,314.99 in for sewer system improvements.