It's official. Mt. Carmel City Government has a new permanent home. At their meeting tonight, the city council approved the purchase of the building and lot at 631 Market Street for the new city hall. A water leak in July forced city government to relocate to the former law offices at the corner of 7th and Market Streets. The purchase price is $189,500 and Mayor Joe Judge said TIF funds are being used to help cover the cost. The building was bought from attorneys John Rhine and Stan Earnest.
Nothing was mentioned as to what the future may hold for the former City Hall location at 219 Market Street that suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage from the leak. City officials have said repairing the structure and resuming operations there would not be economically feasible.
Along the same lines, Judge—acting as the city’s liquor control commissioner—approved an address change on the liquor license for the Mt. Carmel Elks from the basement of the former city hall to the K of C at 212 West 5th Street. A recent agreement was reached between the two sides that allows the Elks to move and operate out of the K of C location.