Linton City Council has busy agenda

Look for J&D Belt Services, the golf cart ordinance as well as the city park plan to return to the table at the February meeting of the Linton City Council on Monday.

Last month the city council agreed to move forward with a $282,000 federal grant application that if awarded could expand J&D Belt Services.

The local business contracts with mines and is owned by Joe and Debbie Whitehead of Linton.

A public hearing on the grant was held last month and details were shared by Greg Jones of Southern Indiana Development Committee.

The grant's purpose is to help business owners create jobs, Jones said. No local funds go into the grant. Instead, it is funded federally through Housing and Urban Development.

"There are many stipulations with the grant," he also said, noting some of the stipulations help protect the city and state.

All together the grant would fund the hiring of 45 employees.

Twenty of those jobs would be for the repair of belts used in the process of coal mining.

Another 20 jobs would be for beginning miners with papers but no training. These employees would train to get their underground license.

An additional five of the jobs could be in either of the two categories.

The office of J&D Belt Services is currently located at the home of Joe and Debbie Whitehead.

Look for the golf cart ordinance and park plan to also resurface at meeting.

The Linton City Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday at Linton City Hall.