Pinckneyville Takes 'Baby Steps' On Zoning and Land Use Agenda

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Pinckneyville City Council placed on file for public inspection two ordinances Mayor Joe Holder described as 'baby steps' toward zoning and land use plans he has for the town.

The first is a littering ordinance setting the fine between $75 and $200 for each offense and allowing for an additional punishment of 10 hours of community service per offense.

The second ordinance charges $500 per vehicle towed for a list of specific criminal and drug offenses such as unlawful possession of a firearm or possession of a controlled substance.

"We're not going to slap you with a $500 fine for having expired tags," Commissioner Marty Beltz said. He explained that the $500 fine for criminal offenses is designed to help the city recoup administrative costs. Pinckneyville Police Officers assist with or handle many cases. The fines for those cases are then sent to the state.

Mayor Holder fielded questions about the zoning maps and land use plan that are still under review by the Executive Director of the Greater Egypt Regional Planning & Development Commission.

Chuck Dobrinick inquired about the status of the zoning and land use plans.

Mayor Holder said he had complete faith in Greater Egypt though completion of the plans has been delayed several times.

In other business, the council:

Approved the low bidders for mowing contracts. They were: Class 1 (ball diamonds and soccer field) Garner Mowing Service at $5,280, Class 2 (City Park) South Lake Road Lawn Care at $4,980, Class 3 (City Lake) Hirsch Lawn Service at $3,000, Class 4 (Child Advocacy Center, First Street, Water Towers, Business Park) South Lake Road Lawn Care at $3,000 and Class 5 (City Cemetery) Master's Touch Lawn Care at $12,600. All four bidders are local. City Attorney Roger Seibert said bidding the project in pieces resulted in a substantial savings for the city.

Agreed to pay $5,000 towards the annual rehabilitation work at the city park. The Ag Society, Thresherman's Association and City have each contributed $5,000 towards rehabilitation work in most years. Those funds are used for a matching grant which reimburses $30,000 of $45,000 rehabilitation projects. The city also approved guaranteeing the $40,000 rehabilitation loan at First National Bank for the Ag Society.

Approved a $6,682 water line extension project on Sunny Lane to be done by IMCO of Benton.