Tonight’s city council meeting will be short, with only a few items on the agenda. However, at the end of the meeting, Col. Richard Jaehne, director of the Illinois Fire Service Institute, will present the Charleston Fire Department with a panoramic picture for its contributions to the Illinois Fire Service Institute during the National Explorer Conference.

Council members will also vote on whether or not to authorize a revolving loan fund for Prairie Art Tile, L.L.C.

Prairie Art Tile has been in Charleston for about a year, and is applying for the loan to can expand the business.

“They will be adding some equipment and eventually adding additional employees,” said Charleston Mayor John Inyart. “This money is to help with their expansion, but it is a loan.”

Also, various changes that will be made to the Unified Development Code will be voted on. The changes will tweak requirements for off-street parking requirements, and the density and dimensional standards of buildings.

One amendment will require that signs with flashing messages will need an interval of two seconds between new messages or scenes.

The Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning has already approved the amendments to the code.

“Some are just clarifications and some are changes,” Inyart said. “They have passed through the (Board of Zoning Appeals), and now they are ready to have the council sign off on them. “

The council will also authorize a resolution permitting the removal of street lighting at the corner of Sixth Street and Van Buren Avenue for new decorative streetlights to be put in their place.

Two raffle permits for the Charleston Rotary Club and one for the City of Charleston Employee Recognition Dinner also need to be approved.

Lastly, the council will vote on whether or not to renew its annual contract agreement for Technical Assistance Services with the Coles County Regional Planning and Development Commission.

City Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 7:30 p.m. and are open the public.

City hall is located at 520 Jackson Ave.