Council takes no action on Court Square ordinance
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 6, 2016
The Andalusia City Council took no action on a proposed ordinance that would have designated the Court Square a city park.
The council had the first reading of the proposal in December, and could have adopted it at Tuesday night’s meeting. However, Mayor Earl Johnson said the city will consider other alternatives for addressing litter issues that arise from people parking and congregating there.
“We are proud of our city square, and the downtown area has been upgraded significantly in the past 20 years.
“We have had a problem with people coming, and quite frankly, misusing that area,” he said. “The vast majority of people who use our square area conduct themselves properly. They don’t litter. They take care to not make a mess there. That’s fine. It’s what we want our folks to do.”
However, he said, that is not the always the case.
“Most people perceive we are taking about teenagers when we say this is a problem,” Johnson said. “That is not the case. People of all ages assemble there. That’s fine, as well. The problem we have is with those who do not respect the property and maintenance of the property.”
The proposed ordinance is one way of dealing with issues, he said. Other ways also are being discussed, he said, adding that he expects the matter to be discussed at future meetings.