Passage of ordinances controlling sex offenders on public property and re-establishing a parks and recreation board were passed with the Crothersville town council met last Tuesday.
Both ordinances passed unanimously.
The sex offender ordinance contains two parts. The first creates residential restrictions for registered sex offenders. A second part pertains to town-owned parks.
Convicted sex offenders cannot live within 500 feet of a school, daycare or park.
According to the ordinance, the sole intent is not to impose a criminal penalty but to serve the town’s “compelling interest to promote, protect and improve the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Crothersville.”
If a person violates the residential prohibition ordinance, he or she can receive a fine of up to $500.
Sex offenders cannot enter certain property owned by the town of Crothersville, with the exception of town hall or another place where the offender has to pay fees or fines or to cast a vote.
If a sex offender enters a park, he or she can be fined anywhere from $100 to $2,500. The person also could receive charges of criminal trespass.
Crothersville police are to deliver notices to the sex offenders living in town boundaries to let them know of the ordinance. Signs prohibiting sex offenders will be erected at each of the town’s parks as well. A map showing prohibited areas also will be posted in town hall.
Online readers can read the ordinances in their entirety under PUBLIC NOTICES.
A long discussed ordinance re-establishing a parks board was passed at the July 1 meeting. At first, council members had trouble finding people interested, but as the ordinance got closer to becoming reality, more people expressed interest.
So far, the seven candidates are Mike Spencer, Sam Kuehn, Sarah Isenhower, Jimmy Shirley, Steve Prather, Alisa Sweazy and Lenvel ‘Butch’ Robinson.
The council will select four members, two from each political party.
A fifth member appointed by the Crothersville school board of trustees. That person will have the same rights, including voting, as the other members.
The town council will announce the appointments at the Aug. 5 meeting.
In other business the council:
•Heard from Mark Adams, owner of Adams Funeral Home on Howard Street, of a concern of people driving through his parking lot off Dixon Street and, in some cases, damaging property. Drivers still go through it, even when it’s been blocked off.
•Approved Verizon to install Internet service for the wastewater treatment plant to allow workers to complete on-line reports. The cost will be $42.99 per month for high-speed DSL service.
Other bids were received from C3BB in Scottsburg, $50 per month with a one-time $100 installation fee, and Insight Cable, $49.95 per month with $150 installation fee, but the fee would be waived if a one-year contract was signed. However, cable TV service would also be charged at the sewer plant.
