The business at City Hall has been going on for the past few months pretty smoothly with one exception: the elevator that provides handicap access to the second-floor City Council chamber has been out of service since January.

Council President Anne Manning-Martin acknowledged this issue during Thursday's council meeting. She and her colleagues voted to delay votes on some special permit requests until April 14 with the hope the elevator would be ready for public use again. The elevator is working, according to City Clerk Tim Spanos, but it has not been tested and approved for public use yet.

Manning-Martin said city officials have been told the elevator could be fixed by the end of this week, but they expected it to be back in service by the April 14 meeting.

"If the elevator is not up and running by the 14th, I will change the venue. The last thing (we) want is to exclude anyone who wants to be heard," said Manning-Martin at last week's council meeting.

Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the state Open Meeting law, government buildings must provide handicap access. All City Council meetings are broadcast on Peabody Access Television and reach 15,000 households, but people cannot comment if they are only watching a meeting on television.

"It's a tough position for the city because you have to fix it," said Spanos on Monday morning.

He believes the city has remained in compliance because city officials have helped the disabled reach the first floor or second floor of City Hall if requested. Spanos said there is a sign posted on the lower level of City Hall that asks people in need of assistance to call the telephone number listed. Spanos said they have helped some people who needed to get to the first level to obtain city documents or conduct other city-related business.

"As long as we are making accomodations for people" to help them get up to the first or second levels "we are in compliance."