The City Council voted to approve amending a nuisance ordinance for unlawful dumping or depositing of materials at Tuesday’s meeting.

Mayor John Inyart said the measure is necessary because the language in the current ordinance does not specifically call out landscape waste as prohibited.

He said the amendment would therefore not allow citizens to rake leaves into the streets because it causes problems for storm sewers.

“We can’t get (the storm sewers) flowing,” he said. “The water backs up, and it doesn’t take too many leaves to clog the sewers and cause a problem.”

City attorney Brian Bower said the amendment is necessary to clarify to citizens the prohibition of what is not allowed in streets.

“It includes it but does not fairly express it,” he said.

Mayor John Inyart said the city will provide initial warnings in regards to the change, but he wants to clarify that tickets will be issued for those who violate the ordinance.

“We can’t have landscape waste in the street and clogging up storm sewers,” he said.

Eastern’s student senate representative Blair Jones also presented to the council that ten Eastern students recently went to the State Capitol in Springfield to raise awareness for creating a new science building on Eastern’s campus.

The proposed science building would be located in the “Tundra,” located near the Tarble Arts Center.

Jones said the students presented state representatives with their five-year strategic plan on what they would use approved funds for and their plan to receive the funds on time.

“They got some great ideas,” she said. “The next thing in the works is to bring those people (to a city council meeting) to show exactly what they’re trying to do.”

The council also voted to accepting a resolution to approve the grievance procedure under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Inyart said this resolution will establish the method for the act.

“It will spell out who to be contacted if there was a grievance and how the procedure would work,” he said.

The council also voted to approve a resolution authorizing various tourism funds for Christmas in the Heart of Charleston and the Embarras River Film Festival.

Tourism funds come directly from a tax from overnight stays in Charleston.

This tax is then put into the fund and distributed to events that help to promote more overnight stays in Charleston.

The council voted to approve $300 for Christmas in the Heart of Charleston and $1,110 to the Embarrass River film Festival.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council also:

• Approved a change order and quote for masonry repairs on the 513 Seventh St. project

• Granted a petition for Salisbury Church and Standing Stone Community Center for conditional use permit at 201 N. Sixth St.

Sara Hall can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].