A man who worked in the Forrest City area during the 2000 census responded Friday to remarks made by Mayor Larry Bryant over the count.
A story in another paper stated that there was an undercount of around 33,000 people in Arkansas, but not many were thought to be in St. Francis County or Forrest City. Bryant commented that he believed the process was geared toward a low count in poor areas.
Harry Wilson, who worked as a crew chief during the census, took issue with Bryant's remarks.
"The only people we didn't count were the people who wouldn't talk to us at all," said Wilson.
"People would order us off their property. I had one guy pull a gun on me. They just would not cooperate. And I'm not the only one. We have all kinds of stories. You can't count people if they're not going to cooperate. And that's where your undercount is."
He said no known resident in the county was missed deliberately.
"We found people living under overpasses, living in tents, living in cars and R.V.s," he said. "And all the people who cooperated were counted. The only people not counted were those who chose not to be counted for one reason or another."
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The Wheatley City Council voted on a revised budget, bonuses and raises in a brief meeting held recently.
Mayor Larry Nash presented a revised 2002 budget to the council. According to Nash, the revision was necessary to make sure that all city expenses were covered. Nash went on to say that the substantial addition of funds came from the fire department budget, which comes from the General Fund.
Alderman John Clifton stated that no matter where it came from, the city spent nearly $9,000 more than was budgeted. Nash said that another reason the city was over budget was street work performed by the city. The council voted unanimously to approve the revised budget as presented.
Bonuses and raises were then discussed. The bonuses will remain the same as last year, $400 for full-time employees and $150 for part-time. Some debate was needed about the amount of raise to give city employees.
Nash presented plans for both 3 percent and 5 percent raises, stating that with recent city income, any raise would be difficult to pay for. Clifton voiced concern, saying, in part, that he was worried about the city's obligation to pay either plan. Clifton also added that the city workers do deserve a raise. The members voted unanimously to approve a 3 percent raise for all city employees.
The Wheatley City Council meets every second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
If you have not sent in your Santa letters by now, please do so. The deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. Our special carrier to the North Pole will arrive soon after, so whether you've been naughty of nice, no letters will be accepted after the deadline.
In a special called meeting Friday night, the Widener City Council voted bonuses for city workers.
"We had unexpected money come in, and the council voted one week's pay for each employee and a month for the council members," said Mayor Dot Halford
A Forrest City man was killed Saturday in a traffic accident in Marianna.
Leroy Sylvester Lacy, 54, died when the car he was driving out of a grocery store parking lot collided with a pickup on Arkansas Highway 1. He was thrown from the car, state police said.
The wreck happened about 11:40 a.m. Robert M. Kennedy, 20, of Marianna, the driver of the pickup, was injured, as was a passenger in the truck, Raymond C. Freeman, also of Marianna. They were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City.