By Bethany Adams, For The Tribune
CENTER POINT– During Thursday night’s City Council meeting, Hope Ball, a representative for RedFlex Traffic Systems, gave a presentation concerning the proposed traffic enforcement program for the city of Center Point.
The program, which is governed under an ordinance passed on October 22, 2015, will include three forms of monitoring: stop sign enforcement, red light and speed enforcement and mobile unit speed enforcement. All three versions of monitoring will capture still images and videos of violations, as well as the time, date and location of the incident.
Once implemented, the program will include a 31-day warning period, during which violators will receive a warning letter. After this period, violators will receive up to three written notices, each including access to all of the information recorded, and each with a 30-day window in which to respond.
A public hearing regarding the program will be held at 5:30 p.m. on September 22.
Another public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on the same date regarding a lawsuit against apartment complexes in Center Point, which are in violation of the city’s business license ordinance. The hearing, which was originally scheduled for Thursday night’s meeting, was moved in order to provide the required 10-day notification period for all parties involved.
At 6:30 p.m. on the same date, a third public hearing will be held for anyone who wishes to address the rezoning of 2477 1st Street NE. The property owner, who plans to open a comedy club, requested that the zoning be changed from a C1 to a C1A, which would allow for the sale of alcohol on the premises.
Also during the meeting, council members approved a resolution to donate 00 to the Red Cross to aid in flood relief efforts in Louisiana, as well as a resolution supporting the Alabama Bicentennial.
Council President Roger Barlow also presented the possibility of opening a public library, and the council discussed issues of size, location and feasibility.
Citing the recent popularity of electronic books, Councilor Leesburg suggested that research be done to explore the benefits of digital material versus physical books.
“A library sounds good, but I think that some study needs to be done in this particular area, because that is not the trend,” Leesburg said.
Barlow, who hopes to appoint a committee to research the project and make a recommendation, directed anyone interested in volunteering to contact himself or Mayor Henderson.
Mayor Henderson also reminded the audience of the upcoming Chamber of Commerce Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 13 at City Hall. The luncheon will feature speaker Doug Segrest, who co-hosts the sports radio show The Zone. The cost for the luncheon is $15.
The next City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 22.