The Syracuse town council is considering an amendment to its zoning ordinance that will attempt to regulate sexually oriented business.

Town manager Matt Vigneault put the issue before the council Tuesday at its monthly meeting.

The council considered the zoning regulations that are the recommended version from the county planning commission. The county approved the new zoning rules earlier this month, but the regulations are only for non-incorporated areas in Kosciusko County. The other towns that are members of the area zoning board are Milford, North Webster, Pierceton and Claypool. These towns have the option to pass the recommended version of the planning commission.

Council tabled the issue until next month because the town attorney was not present. According to Vigneault, the council will probably approve the measure next month. They appeared to agree with the wording and language of the proposal at last night's meeting.

The amendment would not prohibit sexually oriented businesses like the current Syracuse statute. However, it does limit the location of businesses such as adult arcades, adult bookstores or video stores, adult cabarets, adult motels, adult theaters, nude model studios and sexual encounter centers. Each case would be brought before the zoning board and reviewed.

The location of these businesses is limited to areas that are zoned commercial, and they cannot be located within 1,000 feet of a church, school, boundary of a residentially zoned district, public park or daycare center.

They also cannot be located within 1,000 feet of other sexually oriented businesses.

In other town business:

• The council will hold a special meeting within its next monthly meeting, Dec. 16, to discuss the widening project of Ind. 13. The public is invited but will not be allowed to participate in the discussion. The main purpose of the discussion will be to bring new council member Bill Hane up to speed on the project ideas. Time of the meeting will be announced.

• The council rejected a proposal to close down Oak Street to gain more funds from the state to put railroad crossing gates on Main Street. The council elected not to approve a deal offered by the state to give more funds toward the new crossing gates. The town will ask the state to provide the same amount of funds without forcing the town to close Oak Street.

• Vigneault suggested the council get proposals from engineers for a new overpass or underpass on Ind. 13 to cut down on traffic congestion at the railroad tracks, but council didn't approve the idea. Rail traffic has increased to 40-45 trains a day coming through Syracuse on the CSX lines. Although most of the trains run at night, there are still traffic tie-ups during the day.

• The council raised rates on EMS calls to the maximum amount allowed by Medicaid. The EMS is getting funding in its 1998 budget for the first time from the town. Revenues have been down from the ambulance runs as Medicaid patients pay what the government allows them. The Syracuse rates have been lower than what the government will pay to the EMS services. The Basic Life Service rate will increase from $150 to $165. The cost of a loaded mile, which is every mile the ambulance has a patient, was raised from $3.49 to $5. The Advanced Life Service rate, which includes a paramedic, was raised from $200 to $350. The cost of their loaded mile went up from $3.49 to $6.

• An executive session is planned for 5 p.m. Monday to discuss personnel. [[In-content Ad]]