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Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

One of the door hangers the New Castle Street and Sanitation Department is using to educate community members on ordinances pertaining to brush removal and more.

The New Castle City Council took some time during their meeting Tuesday night to go over the city’s policy on picking up shrubbery and brush.

City Council Jerry Walden started the conversation since he has noticed a multitude of homes with brush sitting out by their trash cans.

“The city never intended to be a brush company,” Street Commissioner Lee Walker told the council.

Walker said that he is currently running two crews to pick up brush as much as he can last month.

Walker said if someone needs brush removed from their residence, they need to call the Street Department at (765) 521-6831 and give them the address.

Brush piles should not exceed 4 feet height, 4 feet wide, or 10 feet in length.

The council discussed changing the current ordinance and charging residents $25 for brush removal or giving them alternative companies that can come perform brush removal. No decisions were made Tuesday.

“The answer to the brush problem is education,” Walker said. “I really believe that 90 percent of the citizens of New Castle don’t even realize there is an ordinance about brush, trash, and the new parking ordinance. We don’t need a new or different ordinance. We simply need to educate the people.”

The Street and Sanitation Department has started to place door hangers on residences that are not following the policies. They hope these will help educate the community on current ordinances.

One of the door hangers the New Castle Street and Sanitation Department is using to educate community members on ordinances pertaining to brush removal and more.

The council approved an allocation of income tax revenue to pay $25,000 for bulletproof vests for the New Castle Fire Department.

They tabled two resolutions that could allocate Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to repairing city buildings. The first resolution would allocate $150,000 for the tuck pointing of the building at 108 South Main Street.

Council member Lynn Perdue asked if Public Works Director Dave Barker could look over the project before they made any decisions on the tuck pointing.

The second resolution would allocate up to $130,000 for repair and replacement of roofs on city buildings at 108 South Main Street, 112 South Main Street, and 1109 Broad Street. The council tabled this resolution until they can get more information.

The council approved the second and third reading of the ordinances that prohibit smoking and set hours for the 1400 Plaza. These ordinances now make it so that there is no smoking or vaping allowed in the plaza, no person should be in the plaza between the hours of 12:01-6 a.m., and sleeping is prohibited in 1400 Plaza.

Cars will still be able to be parked in the plaza during this time, anyone is still able to move their cars and grab personal items from their vehicle. If the ordinances are not followed, fines can follow.

They also approved the first reading of an ordinance that amends the city’s written code. The ordinance will change the requirements and limits of accessory buildings on residential property.

The current code states that one accessory building, such as a detached garage or shed, is allowed on the property. The amendment will allow two accessory buildings on a property.

The council decided to remove the 4-way stop sign in the middle of the intersection of South Main Street and Indiana Avenue. The intersection will still be a 4-way stop and is marked with stop signs on each corner.

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