By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City City Council on Tuesday night adopted the 2001 budget, but will amend it at the next meeting to reflect a 5 percent, across-the-board raise for all employees.
The budget of more than $7 million had included a 3.5 percent raise for most employees, but had granted employees of the City Clerk's office 5 percent raises. There had been complaints from some employees over that.
Alderman Glenn Ford made a motion to make the raise 5 percent for everyone, and it was seconded by Chris Oswalt.
Mayor Larry Bryant said he did not want to go into capital improvement funds for salaries. He said this year might not be as prosperous as last, and it might mean employees would get no raise at all next year.
Ford said he believed the salaries themselves would cost about $50,000. However, other expenses like Social Security and benefits will have to be figured in.
"So we kill two police cars for salaries?" said Bryant.
"We got a whole parking lot full of them (police cars) over there now," said Ford.
Bryant said some of those cars need replacing. He also said that if everyone was going to get a larger raise, he should also. He received a 6 percent raise this year.
On the vote to make the raise 5 percent across the board, aldermen Oswalt, A.L. Harris, Ford Cecil Twillie and John Gadberry voted yes. J.T. Higgins and Roy Hancock voted no. Mary Jeffers abstained.
The council then went ahead and passed the budget as had been proposed. The figures will be recalculated and the budget will be amended at the next council meeting.
On another matter, the council amended an ordinance which would have increased the mayor's ability to make purchases without seeking competitive bids.
The ordinance would have increased the amount the mayor could spend without bids from $5,000 to $10,000, and increased the amount for asphalt and gas from $10,000 to $20,000. At the last council meeting, City Attorney Knox Kinney had told the council it was state law.
However, at Tuesday's meeting, Harris said he had been in contact with the Municipal League and had been told that $10,000 was the maximum amount allowable by state law, but that the state's city councils could make it less.
"It's like a speed limit," said Harris. "It may be 60, but you can drive 30."
Harris also said he didn't believe the council would have any problem convening in special session during a time of emergency -- such as it did recently to waive the bidding procedure on storm cleanup.
The other wording of the ordinance stands, which says that the mayor or his duly authorized representative will have the right to accept or reject all bids. Bryant said that wording is the law, and said the council should not get nervous.
"That's state law, that's not my law," said Bryant to the council. "And I don't want to get crosswise with you, or you won't ever give me permission to bid anything again."
Ford requested that a new ordinance be made available to council members at the next meeting.
An ordinance will also be drawn up to approve the expenditures voted on in a recent special meeting. The money, which was for debris cleanup, was authorized by a resolution and an ordinance was needed.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Most St. Francis County residents owning real estate will qualify for the $300 tax credit approved by voters in the November General Election, according to County Assessor Craig Jones.
Property owners should begin receiving affidavits this week regarding only the real estate property a resident owns. In order for the tax credit to be processed, the affidavits should be signed and returned to Jones' office before the Feb. 12 deadline.
"That is the deadline I've set for St. Francis County," Jones said. "A person can turn the affidavit in by Dec. 31, but it will cost their school system money and their county money. Also, their credit may not be applied until next year, so it could end up costing them money."
The state sales tax increased by one-half cent on Jan. 1 in order to offset the tax credits.
"There is no maximum, no minimum, no age limits in qualifying for the credit," Jones said. "If you own a house and are paying taxes on it, you'll get the credit."
Property owners who are paying for their homes are not required to notify their mortgage agency. "All a person needs to do is get the signed affidavit back to us and we'll take care of the rest," Jones said.
"Because of the credit, a homeowner will build up money in their escrow account, and at the end of the year may get a check back from his mortgage company because there is too much money in escrow," Jones said. House payments may also decrease because of the credit, but many people may not notice this until next year, even though the credit is applied to this year's taxes, according to Jones.
"Everyone qualifies regardless of how much their taxes are," Jones said. "However, if your taxes are only $100, you'll get the credit on your account, but you will not get money back. No cash, just credit."
The credit applies only to a person's primary residence. For example, according to Jones, a person who has six rent houses and their primary residence will get seven affidavits, but he or she will be required to determine which is their primary residence and complete the affidavit on that property.
Jones also said a person buying a house on a contract may be eligible for the credit if the person buying the house pays the taxes. Jones said he would need to see the contract to determine if the homeowner is eligible for the credit. Mobile home owners are also eligible for the credit if the mobile home is the person's primary residence.
Anyone who has not received an affidavit by Jan. 23 should contact Jones' office.
The assessor's office will stay open until 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18, and again on Thursday, Jan. 25, to answer questions regarding the credit.
Anyone with questions regarding the credit may contact Jones' office at 261-1710 or 261-1720. "We'll be glad to help. I want people to get this credit, and I want them to do it fast."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Convicted child murderer Alex Ware was sentenced to two terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his sons, Xavier Alexander Harrell and K-Von Harrell.
Ware was found guilty Friday of two counts of capital murder for abandoning the boys in St. Francis County in the summer of 1999.
Following three hours of deliberation Tuesday afternoon, jurors agreed on Ware's punishment. According to Circuit Court Judge Harvey Yates, jurors made their decision based on a number of issues.
Yates, reading from Ware's docket sheet, said the jurors outlined several factors for not giving Ware the death penalty. According to Yates the factors are that Ware had no significant criminal history, execution might have had a negative effect on Ware's children and that Ware impaired the ability to assist in his defense.
Following sentencing, Ware was asked by Yates if he had any comment.
"I want everyone to know that I did not kill my sons. K-Von is still alive and he's out there somewhere. I understand that the jury only heard one side of the story and they made the decision that they had to make faced with the evidence they heard. I regret that I did not tell my attorneys the truth sooner, but I have no complaints about the job done by my attorneys. I just pray that I can prove someday that what I've said is true and prove to everyone that I didn't kill my sons," Ware said.
As Ware was led out of the courtroom, Chantilly Harrell, the children's mother, was restrained by family members. Harrell also directed comments at members of Ware's family that had testified during the penalty phase.
Harrell's mother, Venita Harrell, spoke briefly following the trial. "We have to abide by what the courts do, and sometimes that may not seem fair. But, that's what we have to do. Chantilly is upset right now, and that is understandable. No one can know what this child has been through, not even me, and I'm her mother," said Harrell, adding, "Only the Lord knows what has truly happened with K-Von but my child has to have peace and closure concerning K-Von. We are going to begin a flyer drive to try to find out if anyone has any information on my grandson. You all (the media) have been great with helping us so far, and we would appreciate your continued support."
Prosecuting attorneys Fletcher Long and Gary Mitchusson both seemed pleased with the outcome of the trial, although they had been pushing for the death penalty.
"In a death penalty case, it is a decision that is based on the conscience of the jury. Within that jury room, it becomes a matter of each individual's conscience, so we can't find fault with their decision not to issue a death sentence. I've lost sleep over cases where I've gotten a death penalty, and I've lost sleep in cases where I didn't receive the death penalty, but it still comes down to what the jury feels the punishment should be. We're happy with the sentence that Ware received," said Long.
"The jury made the decision they thought was just and fair, and they are the body that determines that decision. I don't know how the jury felt, but maybe they believe that this is more punishment for Ware," said Mitchusson.
According to both Ware and his attorneys, the case will be appealed. However, Ware's attorneys said they are pleased with the sentence that was handed down.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
St. Francis County ended last year with almost $200,000 less in the general fund compared with 1999 figures.
St. Francis County Treasurer Ann Harbin told Quorum Court members Tuesday night that the general fund balance at the end of 2000 was $70,182.29, a decrease of $190,993 from the 1999 ending balance. The ending balance for county general in 1999 was $261,175.46.
The ending total balance for all accounts in 2000 was $1,727,750.71, a decrease of about $607,571.57 from the ending 1999 balance of $2,335,322.28.
"We're down in county general for the year, as you can see, and that can be attributed to the decrease that we had in tax collections for the year. The totals, as a whole, were affected by a number of accounts that were open in 1999 being closed this year or taken over by the state," said Harbin.
Decreases were reported in several accounts. Among those, the solid waste account ended 2000 with a $134,690.84 balance compared to the 1999 balance of $417,636.08.
The county roads account decreased from $448,945.66 in 1999 to $346,425.70 in 2000, and the county road equipment account ended 2000 with a $27,947.75 balance compared to the ending balance in 1999 of $221,492.80.
"The accounts look a lot worse than they actually are. We've transferred money into savings accounts and CDs that we can access when needed. All of those accounts are in good shape. We did have an increase in the cost of pickup of house to house solid waste which cost the county an additional $120,000 to $130,000 but NEARCO has produced over $100,000 for the county, said St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco.
In other business, justices passed a resolution supporting the construction of a transportation mall in St. Francis County.
According to Cisco, due to the proximity of St. Francis County and Interstate 40 to the new rail service in Marion and the Memphis area, the number of truck drivers traveling through the county has been increasing, creating the need for the mall.
"We have a number of factors that show the need for a facility such as this. With the truck traffic increasing and the proposed Interstate 69 intersecting with I-40, drivers were going to see an even greater amount of truck traffic than we've seen in the past. This will also eliminate the problems that come along with truck drivers having to park on the shoulder and on the on and off ramps to sleep because this will give them an area where they can park," Cisco said.
Justices also approved the additions of Rush Beavers and Christy White to the St. Francis County Museum Board.
A pregnant woman was reportedly beaten by her boyfriend outside his home on West Broadway just after midnight today.
The Forrest City Police Department said residents claimed Shavon Sisk, 20, 244 W. Buford, Forrest City, was being beaten by Andre Tyrone Hunter, 25, 816 W. Broadway, about 1 a.m.
According to the report, Sisk is seven months pregnant with Hunter's child.
Hunter is charged with aggravated assault in the Sisk incident, and third-degree battery stemming from an incident on Dec. 14 when he allegedly attacked a woman inside a vehicle as she was leaving a local store.
Police reported Nicole Johnson, 24, 248 W. St. Andrews, refused to buy Hunter food, and after she left the business, he jumped into her vehicle. During the ride, Hunter allegedly began biting Johnson and attempted to cut her with a knife.
Police are looking for two suspects believed to have robbed a local motel Tuesday night.
The Forrest City Police Department reported the Comfort Inn, 115 Barrow Hill Road, was robbed about 10:20 p.m.
A desk clerk at the motel told police one black male questioned her about room rates and left before the second black male came into the office demanding money. While the second suspect allegedly held a gun at her head, the first suspect took money from the cash drawer.
The suspects then fled on foot, according to police.