What you need to know:
- Houston voters will decide whether a private festival hosted by the Houston Grass Station Campground should become the city’s first official holiday under a ballot measure approved by the City Council. Voters will also weigh a proposed sales tax increase aimed at funding road improvements.
- The measures were approved during a regular City Council meeting Thursday. They will appear on ballots during the city’s regular election in October.
- The proposals drew mixed reactions from residents and council members who spoke at the council meeting. Some council members said they support putting the measures on the ballot to allow voters to decide.
HOUSTON — Houston voters will decide whether an annual private festival hosted by a marijuana business should become the city’s first official holiday and whether to temporarily raise the city sales tax to 4% on most consumer goods to fund local road projects.
The measures will appear on ballots during a regular election in October. They were approved by the Houston City Council during a regular council meeting Thursday. They join a ballot question passed by the council early last month that asks whether the city should establish an airport.
The Matanuska Thunder Festival, also known as Matanuska Thunder Funk, is a free, one-day, family-friendly event and food bank fundraiser hosted by the Houston Grass Station Campground, organizers said. The festival’s names are a play on a potent cannabis strain called “Matanuska Thunder F—,” or MTF, which is sold at a cannabis shop adjacent to the campground…