Jewett commends PD, progresses with mayor’s court

BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter

JEWETT—The Jewett Village Council met on February 20 for one of their regular bi-monthly meetings. The council heard from Village Administrator Mike McBee, who explained plans to work on the three-way stop in town.

“I spoke with [Kovarik Excavating] about the three-way stop,” He said. “What we’re going to have to do is cut like a 12 foot by 14 foot rectangle out of the middle of the rectangle.” He said the issue would likely be stone replacement and then put in concrete to cover it with the intention to hot-patch it later. The intersection has been needing attention for quite some time, and this project will hopefully fix the issues.

Council Member Joshua Walters suggested new town signs, a topic that has been brought up a few times. “It’ll look classy when you come in,” Walters said.

McBee and Walters will need to gather more information for sizing and cost before the council moves forward with the project.

Police Chief Ron Carter gave a short report about a school bus incident that was dealt with in the last week. A vehicle had passed a bus while it was stopped to pick up kids. The incident was immediately reported, and the driver was found within an hour.

“He was cited for a slew of charges,” Carter said.

School bus safety is a serious concern, and the department was commended by the council for the swift response.

“Hats off to the police department,” Walters said.

Carter went on to share that he is currently working on getting a new car radio for the department; this was an expense approved by the council at the first February meeting.

There are two kids, known to the department, riding around in a vehicle running stop signs, and driving dangerously. Carter said he has alerted his officers that once caught, the vehicle needs to be impounded and the juveniles cited.

“I hate to do it, but they’re running down Main Street and cutting cars off,” Carter said.

He also made a point to mention that residents with side-by-sides and 4x4s need to get the proper registration stickers. Unregistered vehicles will be impounded.

Mayor George Bailie reminded council members that the old ordinances need to be read through and updated. Members can review them at any time in the administration building. This has been an ongoing project for the village to review and clean up older ordinances.

Bailie also updated the council on the progress he’s making toward creating a mayor’s court for the village. A mayor’s court, as the name implies, is run by the mayor of a village or town residing over legal cases. The court usually only hears traffic cases, violations of city ordinances, and other misdemeanors that are low-level offenses that will not result in jail time.

“I checked on it, got all my paperwork to start on it,” Bailie said. “I’m moving forward on it … hopefully, within a week, I’ll have it completed.”