Published: July 05, 2008 06:12 pm            

Jeffersonville City Council to address fuel usage

Fuel consumption will be addressed during a work session of the Jeffersonville City Council next week.

Members of the Jeffersonville Fire Department will be on hand to discuss fuel usage on emergency first responder runs, according to Councilman Nathan Samuel.

The department is working to make sure that the runs are appropriate, he said.

“Why take a huge truck to somebody who’s sprained their ankle,” he asked rhetorically.

Samuel has suggested the department use smaller vehicles for such runs.

“It’d be a whole lot cheaper,” he said.

“We don’t want to put anybody’s health in jeopardy, we’re just trying to be smarter about the runs we make.”

Council president Ed Zastawny is also on the work session agenda to talk about fuel saving initiatives. He could not be reached to explain what he has in store.

During the regular session:

• Mayor Tom Galligan’s proposal to create 21 new jobs at the city’s sewer plant will be tabled.

Councilman Ron Grooms, who’s sponsoring the amendment that would put the new jobs on the city’s salary ordinance, said he’ll move to have the issue tabled because he has not seen job descriptions for the new positions.

Grooms requested the descriptions weeks ago, upon sponsoring the amendment.

The 21 positions are being created to replace jobs held by EMC, a private contractor, which administers the city’s sewer plant.

• Two proposals, which create new fees assessed by the Jeffersonville Police Department, will be up for additional consideration.

One of the proposals creates a $1,000 fee to close the Clark Memorial Bridge. That would be charged to organizations that close the bridge for events, such as charity walks. The Louisville Metro Police Department has a similar fee in place.

The second proposal creates a $25 fee for police-evidence photos taken at traffic accidents. The $25 would get buyers a photo CD. Attorneys and insurance companies likely would be interested in the evidence, Samuel has said.

• An ordinance which creates a new City Hall Building Advisory Board is up for its first reading. Currently, there is a City Hall Building Authority, which is responsible for maintaining the building.

Samuel said the authority has the power to approve contracts and similar matters without first getting the approval of the city council or the Board of Public Works.

The authority has been going to the Board of Public Works for approval anyway, Samuel said. However, it’s not required to do so.

The ordinance expected Monday night would reign in some of that power, to avoid future conflicts, he said.

        

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