Charleston City Council voted Tuesday night in favor of a loan agreement with Eastern, Mattoon and the Coles County Sheriff’s Department to update the Coles County 911 system.

Charleston’s emergency telephone 911 software system is being updated as part of an agreement with other county entities that fall within the system. The city, Eastern, and the sheriff’s department have all agreed to pay for the update over a five-year period.

Charleston and Mattoon are contributing $49,703, while Eastern’s portion is $32,075 and the police department will pay $38,600 toward the update.

“Coles County 911 serves all of the police law enforcement agencies, fire department and ambulance services in the county,” said Mayor Dan Cougill.

“All of these agencies, including Mattoon, share the costs of the software and a little bit of hardware.”

The city currently has an enhanced 911 system which immediately supplies operators with the caller’s address and any important medical information about the residence’s occupants, he said.

As the state has taken on systems such as LEADS, the county’s 10-year-old system has had problems staying up-to-date.

“It has been very cumbersome to do reports out of,” Cougill said, blaming poor maintenance from the previous vendor. An ordinance eliminating parking on both sides of A Street from Jackson Avenue to Van Buren was amended and placed on file for public inspection. The ordinance was needed because parked cars lining A Street prevented the flow of school bus traffic.

“There is the same problem from Van Buren to Harrison,” council member Larry Rennels said. “I really believe we should modify the ordinance to eliminate parking on both sides from Jackson to Harrison.”

Council member Lorelei Sims said A Street’s conditions prevent parking on the street without parking on the sidewalk, which is illegal. Those parking on the street are therefore committing an illegal act without the ordinance.

“The entire length of the street won’t permit large vehicles, school buses, ambulances to drive through,” Sims said.

To accommodate residents living on the additional block of A Street and landowners’ needs to add parking before the ordinance is put into effect, council placed the amended ordinance on file for another two weeks.

As part of an overall city effort to improve sewers, the city is purchasing a sewer camera system for the utility department. Cougill said the system is used to detect where individual sewers meet with the main sewer system to ease problems finding blockages.

“They also go through and look for illegal taps and where we may have breaks,” Cougill said. “It is a good device to help us not only repair things but assist people with sewer troubles.”

The illegal taps occur when residents connect personal sewers to the main line illegally. During the council meeting, the $32,594 bid from Coe Equipment of Rochester, Illinois was approved.

Sergeant Brian Baker of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88 presented a plaque to local resident and Bike and Hike employee Keith Cox for apprehending a criminal and keeping him in custody until police could arrive. “He did as the plaque says; he dared to get involved,” Baker said.

When Cox saw people chasing a man who stole merchandise from Rural King, he joined the chase on his bicycle.

Cox apprehended the subject and held the criminal there until police came.

“Think of how many times we’ve thought after the fact ‘I wish I’d have done something,'” Cougill said. “Keith did it.”

In closing, the council acknowledged students’ return to the city.

“I would like to welcome Eastern back and wish you all a good year,” Sims said.

Cougill thanked students, their families and the police department for a successful move-in week.

“Welcome back to the best darn school in the state of Illinois,” Cougill said.

City Editor Carly Mullady can be reached at [email protected].