In June or July, the Historic Preservation Committee will propose a revised ordinance to the city council that would allow them to designate landmarks and historic districts.

The group met with Mayor Dan Cougill last week to discuss more details of the proposed ordinance. One issue that Cougill is concerned with is that people would have to pay for improvements for homes in a historic district.

“Don’t make your document so onerous that people don’t want to fix up your houses,” Cougill said about revising the ordinance.

He stresses that this process can be lengthy. The committee is waiting until after the city finishes work on the Unified Development Code before presenting the ordinance to the city council.

There is a difference between a historic landmark and a historic district, Cougill emphasized. An example of a historic landmark is Old Main. Examples of a historic district are parts of Sixth and Seventh streets.

The city council will have to have public hearings before they can vote on the ordinance that will be proposed. For more information, contact committee member Sheri Sims at 345-2624.