An ordinance pertaining to possession of tobacco, tobacco products and other smoking/vaping related products for persons under the age of 21 was the main topic of Tuesday night’s Carmi City Council Meeting. The meeting was held in Carmi City Council Chambers with State Guidelines in effect regarding masks and social distancing.
After the call to order and approval of prior minutes, Council approved Ordinance #1652 which will prohibit the sale to, purchase by, and possession of tobacco, tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, cannabis and cannabis products for persons under the age of 21, and provides penalties for violations thereof in the City of Carmi, White County, Illinois. Effective July 2019, Illinois state law was changed to prohibit the sale of tobacco, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes and vapes to anyone under the age of 21. At that time Carmi’s city ordinance was also changed but the wording only reflected the purchase of those products and not possession of them. The new ordinance will bring the city ordinance in line with the state law. The update was necessary due to the use of vape devices and cigarettes by students at the high school.
Council unanimously approved a payroll request for Samron for work on the Industrial Drive project in the amount of $230,716.96.
Mayor Pollard updated Council on the purchase of new playground equipment for the downtown Carmi theater lot. The city has already picked out equipment that will be placed on the lot but a purchase of the equipment has not yet been made. The cost of the equipment is $92,471 with a matching funds grant available in the amount of $45,640.50, leaving Carmi to come up with the remaining balance of $51,447.56 including $4,617.06 in freight charges. The playground equipment will be placed at the front of the double lot with a rot iron fence surrounding it. No action was taken on the project at this time as the grant is good until the end of October.
Mayor Pollard also told Council in regards to Corn Day and the tradition of hundreds of people piling into bars on those Friday and Saturday nights, he and Chief Jason Carter decided to allow the normal closing of alleys for more room, with the same regulations and guidelines in place as years past. The City will not be extending hours this year, so last call will be 11:30 and out by midnight. It will be the responsibility of bars to operate by the Governor’s orders and bar owners may run the risk of dealing with the State Police if the order still stands at 50 people. Local law enforcement will not be enforcing the order.
Mayor Pollard said he was out at the site for the new dog park on Tuesday and a black chain link fence is up, so things are getting closer regarding the new dog park.
Council voted unanimously to forgo the Closed Session as there was no action to be taken.
The entire meeting took only 9 minutes, adjourning at 5:39 PM.
