Mount Carmel council approves library appointment, surplus sales and $10,000 lot buyback; schedules July Fourth events

The Mount Carmel City Council on June 22 approved a series of routine and development items, including a library board appointment, several surplus property actions and a proposed buyback of a small lot near the Super 8 hotel.

Mayor outlined status updates on capital projects and community events, saying the pool contractors have completed footers and are preparing to pour walls, and that the pool "still should be done by the end of this year." The mayor also walked the council through America 250 and Fourth of July programming across several days, including Touch-A-Truck, Kids Fest, a free concert and a parade beginning at 10 a.m., with fireworks at dusk expected to last "hour and 15 to hour and 30 minutes." Visitor Terry Beckwith, who applied for the uptown Christmas special-event permit, said the request is "exactly what we asked for last year" and that organizers will adjust space if needed; the council indicated no objections.

Votes and formal actions were concentrated in the consent and property sections of the agenda. The council approved a motion to appoint Mallory Fuller to the Mount Carmel Library Board to fill the seat of Patricia Youngs; the roll call on that motion recorded affirmative votes from the commissioners present and an absence for one member. The council accepted a single bid of $505 from Tom and Paula Garrett for 115 Chestnut Street and moved to proceed with surplus-sale steps after discussion of lot size, easements and prior neighborhood concerns. Council members also agreed to add a mobile home (across from Rural King) to the surplus list, noting any sale would require the unit be moved.

On downtown property, the mayor described a prior lot swap with Ashkof Patel and reported that Patel offered to sell one small lot back to the city for $10,000. Council members discussed using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to repurchase the 50-by-100 lot to consolidate city-owned land behind the hotel; a motion to buy the lot was made and seconded and recorded in the roll call. No detailed purchase contract text was recorded in the excerpt.

The council approved the consent agenda (paying bills and providing signatures) by roll call. Before adjourning to an item-making motion, the mayor asked for a motion to enter executive session to consider appointment, compensation or discipline of employees; a motion was made and seconded on the record but the transcript excerpt does not include its outcome.

Other departmental updates included Commissioner Ikemire reporting year-to-date revenues led by sales tax and state income tax, Commissioner Meeks describing repairs at the wastewater plant (including restoration of a long-idled screw pump), and Commissioner Zimmerman reminding residents about brush-pickup rules after recent storms. Public works reported completed road repairs at 10th and Walnut and ongoing sidewalk and chip-and-seal work.

Next steps: the council left several implementation items to staff (surplus-sale processing, lot purchase paperwork and scheduling of repairs). The executive-session motion appeared on the record by the end of the excerpt; the transcript does not show whether the council entered executive session or any subsequent votes.