NORTH WEBSTER - At least another month will pass before the council decides whether to approve a proposed ordinance regarding sexually oriented businesses.

The North Webster Town Council planned to continue discussion on the matter at its meeting on Thursday, but the issue was again tabled because one council member was absent and information requested in December from town attorney Mike Armey was not yet available.

Local activist Helen Hoy, who led the charge against Cruiser's Night Club in 1995, was at the meeting and encouraged the town to pass the ordinance. She and Sally Johnson will return next month and Hoy plans to bring Vickie Bowman of American Family Association - a religious organization seeking to wipe out pornography - as well.

North Webster officials are being careful with this ordinance in light of the $15,000 settlement for legal fees the town incurred after attempting to ban the exotic dancing at Cruiser's Night Club. The matter went before the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division, and also bars the town from enforcing the community standards ordinance which was passed in September 1994.

In other business, the council approved the following appointments for 1998: town attorney, Mike Armey; town marshal, Jerry Craig; deputy marshals, Greg Church, Candace Smythe, Darrell Sopher and Chris Rager; public works superintendent, Marshall Minnick; sewage lab technician, Christine France; street and sewage department employees, Bob Wright, Chet Los and Frank France; police secretary/assistant clerk, Cathy Craig; street crossing guard, Ollie Hardin; and civil defense director, current fire chief/Harold Gunkle.

Also, Arnold Hall and Mike Pope were sworn in as reserve police officers.

The council will continue to meet at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month. Myron Clark was again named president of the council. [[In-content Ad]]