West Point formally recognized February as Black History Month at its regular meeting Monday.

The city has held a black history program, honoring local residents and school children, for the last several years. Councilwoman Sandra Thornton said the city is planning a similar program later this month, and it likely will be held in the new West Point recreation department gym. The city is looking for an open date to hold the program.

West Point City Council also held a first reading Monday on an ordinance to change how a city clerk, city engineer and city doctor are appointed. Council had decided in January, when making its other appointments, that appointing those three jobs on an annual basis was an antiquated process held over from city charters in years past.

City Manager Ed Moon said then that the clerk is hired through West Point’s normal human resources process and not hired annually. Engineers are chosen for their area of expertise and West Point has more than one. The city doesn’t use a town doctor anymore, other than for drug tests, and they are chosen by the price they give the city for the service, not appointed annually.

By law, the ordinance needs to be read three more times before it is adopted officially.