Four Daviess County towns, Coffey, Jameson, Pattonsburg and Winston, have joined together to explore cooperation among towns and villages on ways to clean up their towns, improve their ordinances and share resources such as legal advisers and personnel for a municipal court system to serve the small cities and villages of Daviess County.
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The committee will prepare a package of proposals to be taken before the board of each town which has appointed a delegate to the committee. The approval of each participating town board is required prior to implementing the recommendations.
In the first meeting of the Small Towns Cooperation Committee (STCC) on Nov. 16, the delegates agreed to recommend setting up Municipal Divisions of the Circuit Court where violations of the towns’ ordinances can be heard. According to Lucille Lusk, chair of the committee, some "community-minded professionals have offered services at significantly reduced rates to bring access to municipal courts for our small towns."
With municipal court as a realistic and affordable option, the committee members recognize the importance of having current ordinances in place. The next order of business is to develop model ordinances, subject to approval by each board. The most urgent issues for consideration were identified as: dogs; public nuisances such as accumulated trash and junk vehicles; parking and weight limits on town streets; maintenance of ditches and easements; payment of delinquent financial obligations to the town; and the misuse of ATVs on city streets.
Officers and members of the Small Towns Cooperation Committee are as follows: Winston Clerk Lucille Lusk, Chair; Pattonsburg Mayor Gene Walker, Vice Chair; Jameson Clerk Denise Caven, Secretary; Coffey Mayor John Griffin, member; and Attorney Jan Stout, associate member.
Additional towns in Daviess County are invited to join in this work by passing the resolution submitted to their boards.
The committee will meet again in January to review ordinance drafts and additional proposals.