The Charleston City Council will vote on appropriating a total of $310,000 in Motor Fuel Tax funds for street and highway maintenance Tuesday evening at City Hall. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Two resolutions will be voted on for appropriating the funds. One will appropriate $130,000 from MFT funds from FY 2014/FY 2015 and the other will appropriate $180,000 from MTF funds from FY 2016/FY 2017.

A memorandum from Charleston Director of Public Works Curt Buescher explained the reasoning behind the appropriation of funds:

“Each year the City estimates the amount of MFT funds that will be used to maintain our streets and alleys, and then obligates that amount via a resolution as directed by the IDOT procedures. At the end of the fiscal year, we complete a statement of actual expenses for that year. If the actual expense exceeds the estimated expense, a supplemental resolution obligating the shortfall is submitted to IDOT.

Attached is a resolution obligating $180,000 of MFT funds for FY 17 street maintenance and construction work. According to a recent audit by IDOT, we had not submitted this supplemental resolution for FY 17.

No additional funds are being spent, we are simply passing the necessary resolution to satisfy IDOT’s requirements.

Please approve this supplemental resolution so we may stay in compliance with the IDOT policies.”

The council will also vote on street closures for the Charleston High School Homecoming Parade happening on Sept. 30 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

If approved, the closures will begin at Smith Drive, continue north to Fifteenth Street then north to Harrison Avenue; west on Harrison Avenue to Seventh Street; then north on Seventh Street to Monroe Avenue; then west on Monroe Avenue to Sixth Street; south on Sixth Street to Harrison Avenue; then east on Harrison Avenue to Fifteenth Street. The parade will conclude as it goes south on Fifteenth Street back to the beginning point on Smith Drive.

The continuation of the local state of emergency will also be voted on during the meeting.

According to the resolution, “The nature of the emergency is the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of sufficient severity and magnitude that it may result in or threaten the death or illness of persons to such an extent that extraordinary measures must be taken to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Charleston, and thereby it has warranted an emergency declaration for all states and local government entities and more specifically within the corporate limits of the City of Charleston.”

A proclamation will be made by City of Charleston Mayor Brandon Combs to name Sept. 17 through Sept. 23 Constitution Week 2021 to celebrate the drafting of the Constitution of the United States.

According to the proclamation, citizens are asked to “reaffirm the ideals the Framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties, remembering that lost rights may never be regained.”

Following the action items, time is reserved for members of the public to address the council. No action will be taken on matters not listed on the agenda, and the council is not required to take any further action or to discuss the matter further.

The council asks that those who choose to address the council speak into the microphone, limit the presentation to three minutes and avoid repetitive comments.

Corryn Brock can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].