Before today’s city council meeting, the council will have a closed-door session to discuss the possible acquisition of property. While no further information can be given at the time, the council may choose to make their decision public at the council meeting, said Mayor Inyart.

The first item that the council will vote on after the executive session will be to adopt a procedure that will allow council members to vote even if they can’t be present at the meeting. The vote will taken via speakerphone and the council member must meet the following criteria: a) the council is given notice 24 hours in advance, b) the council member is absent because of personal illness, employment purposes, or family or other emergencies and c) a majority of the board is present at the meeting. For Charleston that majority is three, said Inyart.

Five years ago, a large group of Charleston residents retired at nearly the same time forcing the council to issue a promissory note to the state. The money from the loan helped with early retirement expenses and the council will vote to renew those loans.

The council will then vote on three zoning variances. All three proposed entities need more room for their drive-up windows than is allowed by current zoning laws. One is a liquor store at 102 Lincoln Ave, another is a pharmacy at 415 W. Lincoln Ave, and the last is a retail store at 419 W. Lincoln Ave. Inyart could not disclose exactly what the retail store was but said “everyone will like it.”

The next ordinance on the agenda calls for minor changes on the procedures the Historic Preservation Society takes to identify properties of historic value.

The council will then decide if Charleston will again issue Single-Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds, an action it has taken eight years in a row. The bonds help first-time homebuyers with interest rates, mortgage rages and provides “assistance on payment and closing costs,” Inyart said.

The next resolution on the agenda will allow the city to take money out of the tourism funds to help pay for expenses relating to “Christmas in the Heart of Charleston” which is Dec. 2.

“Tourism funds are raised through a hotel and motel tax,” Inyart said. Anytime you pay for a hotel, a portion of that fee goes into the tourism fund.

The “self-fulfilling fund,” as Inyart described it, helps pay for events that will “bring more tourists here.”

The council will then vote on two ordinances: one calls for no parking on Second Street from Lincoln Avenue to “just north of Pierce” Avenue, and the other calls for a stop sign to be added at the intersection of Hawthorne Drive and the entrance to Wal-Mart, Inyart said.

The removal of parking on Second Street is a result of construction; the area no longer accommodates areas to park. The stop sign outside Wal-Mart was suggested because of an increase in traffic near there, Inyart said.

The next ordinance on the agenda will approve another neighborhood to be built in Charleston that is east of campus, on Garfield Street.

“I imagine they will start (construction) next spring,” Inyart said.

The last item on the agenda will be to approve a contract with Hance, Utz & Associates to remodel the city hall. Their design will add a vestibule that will “bump out to the sidewalk,” Inyart said.

The vestibule will include two new doors and a brand new elevator, replacing the current, outdated one.

“That has got to be 35 years old,” Inyart said.