HOUGHTON — Houghton City Council members outlined spending priorities they’d like to see in the coming year as Houghton held the first of its budget work sessions Wednesday.

The city is getting positive news on the revenue side, City Manager Eric Waara said. Property tax revenues increased by 6%, joined by 4% increases in the Tax increment Financing Authority district and 10% in Downtown Development Authority, the latter of which was driven by the Hampton Inn opening. Next year’s DDA revenue will probably also include 111 Shelden Ave., Waara said. The long-vacant downtown building received a $350,000 Michigan Community Revitalization Program grant announced Thursday. The renovated space will include residential units on the second floor and retail space on the first floor.

The city also received more than $169,000 in state revenue for the three adult-use marijuana retailers, a larger amount than Waara had expected.

“We’ve got a long way to go from where it started, but it’s moving in the right direction,” Waara said.

Several council members endorsed the idea of adding more sidewalks. Mayor Bob Backon led off by suggesting Agate Street between Champion Street and Sixth Avenue. It’s also a safety issue, particularly during winter, he said.

“This time of year, you drive around, these people are trying to walk up and down, and you’re veering in all directions,” he said.

Councilors Mike Needham and Joan Suits also cited Garnet Street as a potential site. Walkability could also be improved by adding more sidewalk clearing during winter, Needham said.

“There has to be a time in our history where we cleaned the sidewalks a little more than we do now,” he said. “Those maybe were such heady days of revenue that we can’t go all the way back to that. But if we put a stretch on Agate and then we don’t clear it for five months of the year, that’s kind of a bummer.”

Councilors also stressed the importance of paving. Suits asked about the potential for longer-lasting fixes, noting the draw for potential residents.

“They see the downtown and they walk along the waterfront … they drive down and look at the neighborhoods, and then they’re risking their car suspension driving through potholes,” she said.

Waara said the city’s approach has changed since 2015. Instead of simply paving over the existing road with a thin coat of blacktop, the city has rebuilt roads with a more extensive crush-and-shape.

In some cases, the city might be better served first by improving drainage or storm sewers, Needham said, giving examples such as Gundlach Road. Because there’s no dedicated revenue source for storm sewers, Waara said, those upgrades are usually tied in to other infrastructure improvements.

Another topic was improving city aesthetics. Councilor Virginia Cole, who also sits on the city’s beautification committee, said it had discussed adding more benches and public art.

“We have a beautiful entrance into downtown Houghton with the miner, but coming in the other direction of the Yooper Loop, we don’t really have a whole lot of presentation there,” Cole said.

Another spot in need of sprucing up was the concrete-dominated area west of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, where large ships usually dock.

Cole also suggested expanding the footprint of the city’s community garden on Pewabic Street, which is on county-owned land across from the courthouse.

Waara said one option might be asking the county for the property, which he said the city had given for a potential future jail site. The city could potentially add other amenities such as a playground.

The city’s improving revenues could also result in more staff. Mayor Pro Tem Robert Megowen suggested adding at least 1.5 employees in the city office. Waara said the city would likely start with one. It would be intended as a career-track position. Depending on their skills and interest, the person could become the successor to one of a variety of positions, such as clerk or transit director.

Waara said in the next year the city would also look at bringing on a director of community development.

Other topics Wednesday ranged from additional street lighting at Portage Cove, pedestrian improvements on M-26 and repairs at the mouth of Huron Creek.

Wednesday’s meeting was intended to get broader ideas from the council before delving into the individual funds over the next two meetings. Those are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 20 and May 4.

The Zoning Board of Appeals met before the work session and approved a variance request for 220 Blanche St. The 8-foot variance allowed for a 15-foot addition to be built in the back of the site, which is zoned R-3. The 47-by-100 lot was the site of a fire three years ago.

“It’s probably going to be one of the nicer houses in the area when it’s all finished,” Waara said. “I’m very happy to see that place go from a burned-out hulk to back in service.”

The Zoning Board of Appeals also elected officers: Suits as chairperson and Needham as vice-chairperson.