The Terre Haute City Council on Thursday voted to establish a fund to house opioid litigation settlements from various manufacturers and distributors with which the city has recently secured resolution.
Some of the $2.5 million that will come in over the next 18 years will soon begin to be placed in that fund, which the city will access according to special regulations.
Money in the fund will be accessed through future council appropriations.
In other business, the council approved several rezoning ordinances.
One ordinance rezoned property at 20 Home Ave. from a C-2 (limited community commerce) to an R-1 (for single family residential use) in order to make way for a single-family residence.
Another rezoned property at 1000 S. 7th St. from an R-1 to an R-2 in order for a duplex to be built there.
A third rezoned 3250 and 3230 N. 22nd St. to accommodate a new car wash.
The council also appropriated $4,070 to be moved from Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) funds to pay for the demolition of unsafe buildings.
Also, $25,000 was approved from the Police Pension Fund to pay for sundry medical, surgical and dental procedures that weren’t previously conducted due the pandemic.
Two resolutions for confirmation of tax abatements for Bolder Industries’ refurbishment of the old Pyrolyx plant that were tabled last month, and those still need to be resolved. Bolder Industries showed up at last month’s council meeting without legal representation, so there was some confusion.
Attorney Richard Shagley was recruited to represent Bolder, but he asked the City Council to table those resolutions until the July 7 meeting. He also requested the tabling two rezoning ordinances that would result in the construction of business offices on one property and a church, a school and miscellaneous local retail property at the other.
Also deferred was another rezoning ordinance that would’ve allowed the property owner to transform properties on Plum Street near the railroad tracks into a used car lot.
Councilman Todd Nation delayed the vote, saying that he wanted to further explore the area and gauge its effect on nearby neighbors. He and George Azar assured the petitioner, Corine Terrell, that delaying the vote in no way meant that the ordinance would be rejected in the council’s June 9 meeting.
Before the regularly scheduled meeting, the council held a special meeting to decide if companies that had been given tax abatements were in compliance with earlier stipulations that had granted them the benefits. The council found that all 11 companies were in compliance with the requirements of the 15 various tax abatements they had received.
David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.
