The water district City Council members will consider taking control of may be needed to extinguish the hot debate of a rental-licensing fee.

City Manager Jeff Doherty has given council members four approaches to expanding the city’s rental property inspection staff in a request for action at Tuesday night’s meeting. Options include the original proposal discussed Oct. 2 and Oct. 16 at City Council meetings, a change in inspection prices or leaving things the way they are.

The proposal, plus many items of general business on the posted agenda, will be discussed and receive votes at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Carbondale City Hall.

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The funds from the $35 fee would allow the city to keep up with mandatory inspections of rental properties that cycle every three years. Units not meeting code during the first inspection would continue to be subject to a $50 re-inspection fee until the property is up to code.

A vote set for Oct. 16 was delayed in part due to concerned citizens and a request from the Chamber of Commerce.

Jane Adams and Sandy Litecky, representatives with the Arbor (Housing) District, said they were in favor of the City Council keeping the proposal simple and siding with the original idea from Oct. 2, but doing nothing is not an option, they said.

Adams said any of the three would also assist SIUC to increase its enrollment.

“I can’t imagine that sub-standard housing is a selling point,” she said.

The Council may also end a discussion about Carbondale taking control of the Crab Orchard Water District, which has lasted 30 years. But the possibility of a surcharge in rates to customers may mean the dissolution of the district.

“It’s not an issue that people have been clamoring for,” Councilman Chris Wissmann said. “But I think it’s going to make the most sense this time.”

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Representatives from the Crab Orchard Water District Board said the district may have to charge customers an extra $8 per month for 20 years to repair and maintain its infrastructure. District customers are paying $4.91 for every 1,000 gallons at present, which is $1.87 more than customers receiving water from the city.

Carbondale already provides sanitary sewer service, and sells water to the district at $2.75 per 1,000 gallons. Wissmann said customers should not expect a difference in the water quality because the relationship already exists.

In addition, the City Council will vote on a resolution allowing Mayor Brad Cole to enter an intergovernmental agreement with Murphysboro to draw a line of zoning jurisdictions.

At the Sept. 18 meeting, the City Council voted in favor of posting public notice of a line that would be drawn four miles to the north and south of U.S. Route 13 and Country Club Road. A similar agreement between Carbondale and Murphysboro had been in place from 1981 and 2001. The two municipalities have honored the guidelines through an informal “gentleman’s agreement.”

Both Cole and Doherty did not immediately return phone calls left Monday evening.

Barton Lorimor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 274 or [email protected].