The Charleston City Council unanimously voted to approve three ordinances at Tuesday night’s meeting, which will allow the University Baptist Church, currently located on Seventh Street, to construct a new building alongside Lincoln Highway Road.

The ordinances were approved without discussion.

The ordinances approved the final development plan for the Whispering Pines Planned Unit Development, to re-plat eight residential lots and a conditional use permit for the church.

The council also unanimously voted to approve an agreement with Coles County for animal control services. The agreement would increase the cost of the service by 50 cents per person to $1.50 in Charleston.

However, only half of the Eastern on-campus residents will be counted.

Mayor John Inyart said the agreement has been in place since 1979 and the animal shelter has deferred maintenance.

Charleston will pay about $28,000 yearly, which is an increase from about $21,000.

In other business, the council placed the vacating of three alleys on file for public inspection.

The alleys are located between Hayes and Garfield avenues and Hayes and Grant avenues on the east of 12th Street.

The other alley runs between Adams and Washington avenues and between Division and First streets.

City Planner Steve Pamperin said there was a stub of sanitary sewer on the south end of the alley by Garfield Avenue and that building setback requirements need to be reviewed.

The council also voted unanimously to approve a refund to University Village Housing, LLC.

The pre-annexation agreement approved in 2005 required the company to pay a development fee of $1,250 per unit. The city will be refunding $250 per unit, or $31,000 to the company if the amendment is approved.

The refunded portion of the fee was originally earmarked for the construction of the intersection of Woodfall and Hawthorne drives.

The developer instead completed the construction.

Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7942 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.