Lafayette council tables
salary debate
By Jamie Teibel
Summer
Editor
Area firefighters and wives of present, deceased
and retired firefighters spoke up against two ordinances at the Lafayette
Common Council meeting Monday.
The ordinances, which would adopt a Fire Merit
Board System and fix the salaries of the members of the police and fire
departments of Lafayette, were strongly opposed because they would not
give firefighters the same pay scale as police officers. The firefighters
want to discuss the issue before any decisions are made. The council
voted 8-0 to table the discussion until July 2.
Mayor David Heath said that he would consider the
information for the fire department raises.
Other issues discussed at the meeting concerned
charges for sewerage services and an immediate moratorium on locating
radio or cellular towers as primary or accessory uses in Lafayette on
property that is not in the proper zone. The moratorium was voted and
passed 8-0.
The sewerage charges, which concern the expansion
of the sewage plant, are in need of a rate increase because the bids
are over the estimates and engineers' have their "backs against the
wall." The ordinance, which asks to borrow $12 million more for the
project, was passed 5-3.
There will be a special meeting of the Lafayette
Common Council at 7 p.m. on Thursday to further discuss an ordinance
concerning the acquisition, construction and improvement by the city
of Lafayette, among other topics.
Another special meeting will be held at 7 p.m.
on June 21 to consider an ordinance concerning charges for sewerage
services.
Heath reported that area community pools opened;
there was a groundbreaking for the Holiday Inn Select to be built on
South Street; there are 21 proposals for the widening of Greenbush Street;
and the construction of the fire stations is set to begin.
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