By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the Forrest City Civic Center Commission agreed Monday to request several items be bought for the facility.
The four commissioners attending the meeting agreed to send a request to the Forrest City City Council for the purchase of 50 additional tables, 150 additional padded chairs, a floor stripper and a portable stage, which will be used in the Ferguson Room.
Civic Center manager Raymond Stewart told commissioners the facility currently has tables that will seat 600 and chairs that will seat over 1,000, but the need is there for more tables and chairs due to the use of the building and the possibility that if all rooms are rented the facility could run short of both items.
"There are times that we have all of the rooms in the building rented and although it hasn't happened yet, we could run into a problem if every room is filled, because the tables that I have will seat the big room, but we won't have any left over for the other rooms. The same can be said for chairs. It's not often that we have people standing, but I have seen that happen," said Stewart.
Commissioners also voted to table several issues, including two regarding Civic Center caterer Jim Hitchcock.
According to commission chairperson Delores Morelon, an inventory of items in the kitchen belonging to the city, and items belonging to Hitchcock, has not been completed. Commissioner Shirley Harvell suggested tabling the issue so that a certified letter could be sent to Hitchcock requesting his appearance at the April meeting of the commission. Commissioners voted to request the inventory materials as well as the quarterly reports from Hitchcock on catering jobs done at the civic center.
Commissioners also tabled a possible rate increase until the April meeting so they could study information provided on rates at the West Memphis and Brinkley civic centers.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A two-month budget plan that St. Francis County Quorum Court members are expected to vote on tonight is a proposal that was to eliminate the need for layoffs on the county level.
However, St. Francis County Museum Director Laura Mazzanti said the proposed cuts to the museum's funding will cause the facility to lay off its only part-time employee.
According to Mazzanti, the budget plan, which will cut museum funding by $1,000 per month, actually will cut funding close to 50 percent from the funding received last year from the county. Mazzanti said the county allocated close to $60,000 to the museum's budget for 2001, but this year's cuts will drop the 2002 total to $30,000. Mazzanti said that $44,471 will cover the full and part time positions the museum currently has.
"The funding that we get from the county goes totally for staff purposes. We really depend on the county for that funding because we get help from the St. Francis County Cultural Society for other funding, and we're also going to work on another Friends of the Museum drive to raise funds. But, the money that we receive from the county is important to us for staffing," Mazzanti said.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco said the budget plan approved last week allows for both the full-time and part-time positions at the museum. Cisco said that the funding was based on the rate of 40 hours for full-time personnel and 20 hours for part-time personnel with no overtime included.
Mazzanti also stressed that the museum is a department of the county government, and should be treated as such.
"We're just as much a part of the county offices as any of the other departments, and if we have to lay someone off it's going to be someone employed by the county. I think that the quorum court seemed to feel that we might be a charity like the CARE Center or the Food Pantry, but in all actuality, we are a county department," she said.
Justices will vote on the proposed budget plan during the regular monthly meeting of the quorum court at 6 tonight at the courthouse.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Madison City Council members chose to postpone any decisions on the proposed 2002 budget for another week rather than tackle the issue during Monday's regular meeting of the city council.
By a 5-to-0 vote, with Councilman Thomas Davis abstaining, the group agreed to take another week to review the budget at the suggestion of council member Annie Winfrey.
"I think that we should all take one more week to review this budget to see if there are any things that need to be changed. We want to be sure that we make the right decision on this before passing it," said Winfrey.
Madison Mayor James Brooks reminded councilmen that a budget has to be passed before the Feb. 1 deadline.
"I understand that you all need to review this, but there haven't been any changes since you voted on it last month. Just remember that we do have a deadline in February that we have to meet," Brooks said.
In other business, council members approved a resolution allowing the Madison Police Department to destroy confiscated firearms. According to Brooks, the resolution will now allow Madison officers to destroy weapons instead of using the state service that the department has been using.
"Right now we've been using the state's program, but they call for different types of regulations that we won't have to go through now. If the state said that they would be destroying guns in Lonoke, then we had to contact them and make arrangements to transport the guns to Lonoke. This resolution will allow us to do that right here now," said Brooks.
Councilman Oscar Brown voiced some concerns over the issue and questioned assistant Madison Chief of Police Darryl Griffin over the confiscation of the weapons. "What if a gun is registered under a person's name? Are you going to just take the gun and destroy it? There are people who have registered guns who may be arrested, and during that standard arrest are you just going to take their guns from them?"
Griffin responded, "If we stop a subject, and let's say that you have a gun on you, and a permit and the gun is registered and we run a check on you. We're not going to confiscate the gun unless the person is under the influence of alcohol or another illegal substance, then you will be fine, and we'll let you go. There are two ways that a citizen can carry a weapon in the state of Arkansas. If you're on a journey, which means you're traveling 25 miles away from your home, or through the 'gunslingers' act, which allows some people to get a concealed carry permit. Otherwise you shouldn't have your weapon with you, with the exception of hunters," said Griffin.
In other police department business, during an executive session, councilmembers chose to reduce the suspension of police officer Lela Doby. According to Councilman Gail Graham, Doby, who had served two weeks of a one-month suspension without pay, had her suspension reduced to two weeks.
Doby will be back at work Wednesday, according to Brooks.
In a brief meeting Monday, the Widener City Council heard a report on the city's community center.
The site has been marked off, and work should begin soon on digging the foundations.
"We hope to start before the end of the week," said Shelly Bieber, who is also police chief.
On another item, Mayor Dot Halford told the council that the 2002 budget is not ready. She said a special meeting will be called in the near future.
The City of Wheatley is looking at ways to try and control dogs in the city limits.
Councilmen recently discussed several ideas regarding ways to control the animals. Councilmen agreed on the need for a vicious dog ordinance, a dog tag ordinance and the need for a dog pound. The council will review similar dog control ordinances before wording one to address the city's need.
In other business, Mayor Larry Nash told councilmen that used oil is being recycled to help heat the city shop. Nash said city residents may dispose of used oil in a 500-gallon tank at the shop. "We changed our heating system from gas to oil so the oil people drop off can be recycled to heat the building," Nash said.
Also during the meeting, the council approved a motion to allow a class reunion committee for the Wheatley High School All Class reunion to rent the civic center at a cost of $150 for three days. The facility normally rents for $150 per day; however, Lisa Wynne, a reunion committee member, requested the discounted rate.
Although the rental fee is discounted, councilmen agreed that a $500 deposit would be required to use the facility, and that the committee will be held responsible for any damage to the building during the event.
Nash also told councilmen that a night box has been installed at city hall so that residents may drop off their water bills after office hours.