The Shelbyville City Council held public hearings on the Proposed Real Estate Exchange and the Appropriations Ordinance prior to their bi-monthly meeting. No one chose to speak on either issue.

When the council went into their regular meeting the first two items of business was passage of the Appropriations Ordinance and the Proposed Property Exchange.

City Treasurer David Frost explained the appropriations ordinance was a perfunctory obligation at the beginning of each fiscal year.

“Without this ordinance the city cannot legally spend money,” said Frost.

The property exchange is an important step in the revitalization of the downtown area. Mayor Roy Shuff explained that the Shelby County State Bank had purchased 200.6 feet of the north end of the alley running east and west behind Joe’s Pizza. Then the bank wanted to swap that property for a small piece of land the city owns behind where the Moose Building once stood. The city will then use that end of the alley for the mini park and new parking lot proposed in the first step of the revitalization.

Next the council approved the final payment of $16,966 towards the generator that was installed in the water plant. That final payment went to Bodine Electric of Decatur.

The council also approved the payment for the materials Holland & Fox Masonry put into the new concession stand at the ball diamonds in Forest Park. The amount of that invoice was $5,318.78.

“My understanding is that all the labor was donated and this is just materials,” asked Councilman Brent Fogleman. Fogleman was assured that was the case.

The next item of business was passage of a Illinois Housing Development Administration Grant Resolution. That resolution stated that the council had agreed to enter into a grant agreement with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) for participation in IHDA’s Housing Trust Fund Residential Rehabilitation Program, which will further the goal of improving available housing to the low income.

The council then approved the hiring of what the council calls a Building Official. Local contractor John Frederick of Shelbyville was hired to provide the city with the necessary information and expertise to proceed with the documentation, pleadings and testimony to demolish or repair various buildings in the city that are currently in a dilapidated and unsightly condition.

Mayor Shuff said he would like the council to consider appointing a committee to oversee the downtown redevelopment. That committee will be made up of five individuals who are: Jeff Johnson, Bill Shoaff, Jack Tynan, Judy Borah, and Kate Laskowski.

“The committee is going to be chartering a new pathway here and almost act as a clearing house for ideas and direction,” said Johnson. “But of course this is all at the will of the council because the committee would not actually have any approval authority.”

Under old business Commissioner Johnson told the council there was a copy of the ordinance for the bike path in their materials to read.

“This year we would like to take the next step which would include eliminating parking on the east side of Morgan Street,” Johnson said. “So if anyone would have any concerns they should feel free to come to the next council meeting.”

Johnson said the proposed bike path would run from north 2nd Street to north 9th Street.