SHOALS — Martin County Councilman John Stoll volunteered Monday night to be the council’s representative on the county’s advisory planning commission.

County Commissioner Dan Gregory, who is also on the planning commission, showed the county council a copy of the proposed Martin County land use plan.

Gregory said the formation of the nine-member planning commission was a requirement for the land use plan to become a comprehensive plan. By adding the word “comprehensive” to the title, he said this would increase the likelihood of county entities receiving grants in the future.

A separate land use plan has been written for the city of Loogootee, which is also forming its own planning commission.

The county’s land use plan covers Shoals and the unincorporated areas of Martin County.

Gregory said five private citizens have agreed to be on the commission, with three being registered Democrats and two Republicans. By law, no party can dominate by more than a 3-2 margin. The final two members are public officials who serve on the basis of the office they hold.

Both the county and city plans were written by the Evansville engineering firm Bernardin Lochmoeller, which received a $100,000 grant from Major Moves funds.

In other business

Improvements

The council approved $8,137 in additional money from the general fund to pay for building improvements to the jail. Sheriff Tony Dant said the money would cover the cost of restoring eight shower floors in two cell blocks, as well as engineering design costs.

Fire station

The council approved an $85,000 local match for a grant to build a new fire station, located near the fairgrounds. Gregory said construction should begin by late summer, with the hope the outside work will be completed before freezing weather.

Budget meetings

Aug. 10-11 has been set for the council’s initial budget meetings with all department heads. The 2010 budget will be finalized two weeks later, then sent to the state for final approval.

Medical costs