CHELSEA – Chelsea students and educators will soon see the first benefits of the city’s recently enacted 1-cent sales tax increase.

Mayor Tony Picklesimer told attendees at the Chelsea City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, that the committee that was formed to manage funding available through the tax increase has approved its first round of grant requests.

After two meetings, the committee has approved 118 grant applications for a total of $110,055.31, with distributions coming soon, Picklesimer said.

“This is an example that we are doing exactly what we said we were going to do with this money,” Picklesimer said and added that none of the funding so far is related to athletics or construction projects, instead focusing on instructional needs such as programmable robots and Google Chromebooks. “They’ve got No. 2 pencils and paper, and that would be good enough, I guess, but we don’t think it is. We think our kids deserve the Chromebooks and deserve better, and the majority of our citizens thought our kids deserve better.”

In other business, the Council:

• Approved a contract with Foothills Partners LLC for the purchase of real estate.
• Approved an annexation ordinance submitted by Jared Properties for a 112-acre parcel located next to Brynleigh Estates.
• Approved an annexation ordinance submitted by Jared Properties for an 11-acre parcel located next to Brynleigh Estates.
• Approved to declare as surplus property 10.622 acres of the 28 total acres located on Shelby County 47 behind the ball fields, and to sell the surplus property.
• Heard from two residents who live off Rich Drive about concerns about the condition of the road.
• Heard an update from Chelsea Citizens Observer Patrol Director Carlos Sanders on the group’s activities, including recent CPR training, active shooter training and the resignations of two long-time members, each with more than 20 years of experience.
• Heard an update from Emily Sims of the Chelsea Public Library about the success of the Homeschool Hangout program, and the library’s plans to hold Homeschool Hangout on the first and third Wednesdays of each month going forward. The library will also host an author event with Laura K. Denton on Oct. 10.