By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
State officials are looking at the possibility of allowing Arkansans to assess and pay personal property taxes in state revenue offices when they register their vehicles and get license plates.
The idea is opposed by the local assessor.
As it is now, county offices are responsible for assessing and collecting the taxes, and motorists have to go to a county office and their local state revenue office to complete the registration process or get a license plate.
The intent would be to increase convenience to taxpayers.
However, St. Francis County Assessor Craig Jones said it would take away the personal touch taxpayers can expect in the assessor's office.
"We're letting the state take more and more duties away from the county," said Jones. "And it's doing nothing at all but hurting our county. People like to come into the assessor's office and get personal service. With this proposal, it will all be coming out of Little Rock."
He continued, "The revenue office, right now, has probably got enough on it. What you'll end up doing is putting some people out of work."
According to Jones, the so-called personal touch is important.
"It's good to have your local county people in the courthouse. You can go up there and talk to them. Why fix it if it ain't broke?"
He said even though there may be local people working in the revenue office, it is still a state office.
"It smacks of Little Rock trying to get their hands on something else," said Jones. "To me, that's just looking for things to do when you don't have to."
LaNan Kennedy, agent at the local revenue office, said the office would do whatever the legislature tells it to do.
"My own personal opinion is, I wouldn't like it. But they don't care what we think. If it passes the legislature, it's something we'll have to do," she said.
"If it was up to me, I would rather keep it like it is," she continued. "This is going to be mixing state and county money together."
She said that at one time, the County Assessor's office had an employee at the revenue office.
"The Assessor's Office put a girl out here and put in a computer, so people could come right here and assess and get their tags," she said.
She said there is still a telephone at the revenue office, through which people can contact the Assessor's office and assess by phone.
"Other counties make people go to the assessment office," she said.
Rep. Cecile Bledsoe, R-Rogers, has proposed putting all the steps in the local state revenue offices. Her proposal was the outgrowth of a legislative study.
In an Associated Press story, she said the proposal would require changes to two state constitutional amendments that set forth how property taxes are collected.
The Legislature agreed earlier this year to study the feasibility of the state taking over the collection of individual personal property taxes when people register vehicles or get license plates. The counties would continue to collect real estate property taxes and business personal property taxes.
Benton County Collector Scott Douglas was reported as saying some county governments might save money because they would need fewer employees. However, Pulaski County Treasurer Debra Buckner said that while some counties may need fewer employees, the state would probably have to add staff.
The St. Francis County Farm Bureau will sponsor a Harvest Fest Rice Cook-Off on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Entry may be in as many categories with a fee of $1 per entry. Previous sweepstakes and first place winners may not enter the same category as the previous year.
Entries may be submitted in the following categories: salads/vegetables, main dish, desserts, international cuisine/miscellaneous and youth.
Each recipe must use rice or a rice product (cereals, bran, etc.) as a primary ingredient and each contestant is required to bring his or her prepared rice dish to the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church between 9 and 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11.
Contestants are required to attach two copies of the recipe, printed or typed on a 8 1/2" X 11" sheet of paper. Contestants must print their name on only one copy of the recipe.
Entries will be judged on the basis of flavor, originality and presentation by a panel of judges.
Prizes to be awarded are: Overall sweepstakes winner, which will receive $50, a gift tray and a ribbon; First place winners in each category will receive $30, ribbon, and other prizes (sweepstakes winner will come from the five first place winners); second place winner in each category will get $20, a ribbon and other prizes; third place winner in each category will receive a $10 prize, a ribbon and other prizes and the most unique rice dish winner will receive a small electric appliance, a ribbon and another prize.
Awards will be presented by Miss St. Francis County Rice, Mandy Michaelis, on the day of the event at noon. All contestants should be present for the awards ceremony.
The winning recipe/dishes will be served at the Rice Tasting Luncheon and each entry will receive one complimentary ticket. Other entries will also be served at the luncheon.
For questions regarding the Harvest Fest Rice Cook-Off may be directed to Judy Jayroe at 581-2459, Denelda Michaelis at 581-2277 or any St. Francis County Farm Bureau Women's Committee member.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
For the second time in the past two weeks, crop dusting services have been ordered to the ground by the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to an Associated Press report, the FBI asked for the grounding of all aerial applicators after a Belle Glade, Fla., man told agents that three middle-eastern men had inquired about crop dusters.
Locally, officials with the Forrest City Municipal Airport were notified Sunday of the shutdown and airport manager Bill Watkins said that being grounded will not have a great affect on their cropdusting business.
"If this had happened last month then we would have problems, but with it being this time of year most of our business is slowing down. We've got some defoliate work to do but overall we're slow. With the situation as it is right now if the FAA asks us to stay down while they get everything settled it's fine," said Watkins.
According to Watkins, the local organization mostly affected is the Arkansas Bollweevil Eradication program, a program working with area cotton farmers through monitoring and spraying of cotton fields.
Michael Catanach, with Arkansas Bollweevil, said the grounding of cropdusters for one or two days wouldn't affect the program negatively. Catanach said that officials with Arkansas Bollweevil were meeting with FAA and FBI officials this morning to attempt to determine when cropdusters would be back in the air.
"We really haven't assessed exactly what this is going to do. We're meeting with officials from the FAA this morning to see when we might be back up, but really, with this being a matter of national security, we know that it might be best not to be in the air right now," said Catanach.
"The last time they had us on the ground we were down for a couple of days and then back in the air. We've had time to almost catch up so one or two more days won't hurt," Catanach added. "If they shut us down for the rest of the season it might put the program back a year, but we really don't see that happening."
A local convenience store was robbed at closing Sunday night by a suspect brandishing a small caliber weapon.
The Forrest City Police Department reported Handy Foods at 1333 W. Broadway was robbed just before 9 p.m. when a black male suspect carrying a pistol came inside the store and demanded money from the cash registers. Employees put an undetermined amount of money into a pillowcase supplied by the robber before he fled the store on foot.
Employees attempting to call police to report the robbery discovered the phone lines had been cut so they used a cellular phone to report the incident.
The results of last Tuesday's school elections were certified Friday afternoon by the St. Francis County Election Commission.
According to Commission member Dr. William Traylor, there were no challenges to the vote.
There were only two races in the county, both in Palestine/Wheatley School District 23. The incumbents won both races by comfortable margins. Ronnie Crider defeated challenger Charles McGowan 50-20, to retain his Zone 4 seat. John Henry Parker was a 62-6 winner over Phyllis Autry in Zone 6.
In Forrest City District 7, Ronald Williams and Gordon McCoy were unopposed for reelection to their districts. Likewise, in Hughes District 27, Bobby G. Allison was unopposed for his Zone 1 seat on the school board.
An Indiana teenager was killed this morning when his vehicle struck a tree and burst into flames.
Auturo Gallegos Jr., 18, died in the single-vehicle accident just after 6 a.m. today near the 255 mile marker on Interstate 40.
Arkansas State Police Trooper David West with ASP Troop D Headquarters in Forrest City said Gallegos was traveling westbound when it is believed he fell asleep causing his 1991 Ford Taurus to veer off the roadway. The vehicle traveled over 690 feet off the north shoulder of the interstate before striking the tree.
The Forrest City Fire Department also responded to the accident scene.
Quorum court justices will be involved in a pair of called meetings this week which will determine the budget for county government for the remainder of the year.
On Tuesday night justices will hold a called meeting, at 7 p.m. in the Quorum Courtroom at the St. Francis County Courthouse, of the county's budget committee to determine the budget for the months of October, November and December. At a meeting of the budget committee last week justices were told that budget projections would put the county's general account over $330,000 in the red.
The second meeting is at 7 p.m. Thursday in the QC meeting room.