Council approves parade routes
Street closures were the main topic at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
The council approved the authorization for the closure of certain streets for the annual Charleston High School Homecoming Parade for September 22, 2010. The parade will last from 6 to 7 p.m.
This is the same route that has been used for the last several years.
The council tabled the closure of certain streets for the Annual Eastern Homecoming parade for the next meeting.
Possible modifications will be done to the route.
Approval was given to the street closure for the Jefferson Grade School Halloween Parade on October 29, 2010.
Mayor, John Inyart was not present during the meeting, requiring council member Larry Rennels to serve as mayor pro temp.
Inyart left a statement regarding his thoughts toward the extension of the Tax Increment Financing.
“The Charleston downtown TIF has been a tremendous tool for revitalizing our downtown area, without it many buildings would have long since become unstable and may very well have been demolished,” Inyart stated. “I support the extension of the TIF, and urge council to support this resolution.”
TIF pays for improvements to buildings located in the square.
The approval is expected to come before the end of the year.
Currently, all taxing bodies approve the extension; the next step is to go before state legislation for approval for an additional 12 years.
The Council also approved the extending of the contractual agreements for Technical
Services and Assistance with Economic Development Resources.
This firm helped with preparing the necessary documentation for the TIF extension.
It was approved back in 2008 with a cap of $15,000.
“Since this is moving forward it’s going to take a little bit more work on their part and this resolution is to increase the cap limit by $5,000,” Rennels said.
The wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade Project that involves additional concrete work was also approved.
The Ambulance billing software and procedures was approved allowing payment of a fee for the use but not having to invest in the software.
“This is a win, win situation for both Charleston and Mattoon to be able to make more efficient uses out of our software and personnel,” Rennels said.
Recognizing the week of October 3-9 as Fire Prevention Week was approved.
In the memo that Fire Chief Pat Goodwin gave to the council, stated that the fire department promotes fire safety for 52 weeks out of the year, it’s just that this special week concentrates on prevention.
The theme for this year is ‘Smoke alarms a sound you can live with.’
With Inyart’s absence, the council was not able to approve the Raffle License because by state statute, the items must be unanimously approved by all members of the.
Council approves parade routes
Council member Larry Rennels sits in as Mayor Pro-Tem during Tuesday nights city council meeting at City Hall. (Audrey Sawyer
