Leesburg Council Members Consider Renovations, Citations, Violations
LEESBURG — During his monthly street presentation, Leesburg Street Superintendent Craig Charlton said ordinance violations related to parking continue to be an issue. The areas of violation are mostly rental properties with inadequate parking for tenants. The main area of concern is Van Buren Street.
Charlton reported that the vehicles in violation are tagged with a yellow ordinance reminder and are dated and documented with a time/date stamped photo. Charlton spoke with law enforcement, who recommended “Tow Away Zone” signage in order to clearly state the intent of the town of Leesburg regarding the violations.
“I would like to give them one last chance and give them a citation,” said Charlton, adding that some tenants have not been provided with off-street parking. He advised there is available parking in the alley behind the buildings.
“They can find a place to park,” said Council President Tom Moore, “They choose not to.”
“In my mind, our ordinance is clear,” said Leesburg Town Council Vice-President Doug Jones. “This has been on the agenda three or four months now. I think it’s time we go ahead and knock this thing out and be done with it.”
Moore agreed that the ordinance is clear and action needs to be taken to address the issue.
Charlton had no major equipment issues to report. Mild weather at the end of February allowed for an early start on spring cleaning. Brick streets have been swept, and performance cold patch was use on asphalt street and alleyways to fill potholes. A temporary sign at the corner of Plum and Pearl streets has been replaced with a permanent sign.
Jeff Rowe of Umbaugh & Associates, Indianapolis, returned this month to update council members on financing options for the renovations to the Leesburg Town Hall building. At the present time, the building does not meet the requirements of the American Disability Act and cannot be used for town meetings or functions.
Rowe went over a recap of financing options. He provided an updated report, with information related to four Leesburg town funds that were identified as having healthy balances at the end of 2017, including Riverboat Fund, Rainy Day Fund, General Fund and Edit Fund.
“What we would recommend is looking at your Edit Fund, which is where you have the vast majority of your cash,” said Rowe. “It appears you would have sufficient funds. The caveat would be that we wouldn’t want to spend that down if there’s a larger priority project you’re planning on doing.”
“We have a grant that could be used to help eliminate some of the cost of street projects so I wouldn’t have any issue using the Edit Fund to pay for this building,” said Jones.
Council members agreed that the next step would be to obtain recommendations from Attorney Vern Landis on how to proceed.
Council Member Christina Archer stated she would like Leesburg residents to be aware that the town council does not have the authority to take care of the railroad track crossings in town.
“The railroad crossings are the responsibility of the railroad and it’s illegal for us to do anything to them,” added Charlton. “There is an 800 number posted on the crossing guards if any resident would like to call with complaints or concerns.”
Other News:
- Public information: As always, no parking is allowed on any street between 3-5 a.m., and no burning is allowed.
- Sidewalks are the responsibility of the resident and are to be cleared of snow, per town ordinance. Trees and bushes in the tree lawn are also the responsibility of the resident and are to be trimmed to permit safe passage on streets and sidewalks. This includes alleyways.
- A complete list of Leesburg town ordinances can be found here.
- The next regular meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April. 9.